This Standard format is quickly shaping up to be one of my favorites of all time.
Why?
Because I like attacking.
By all accounts, attacking is what you should be doing in this format. There are too many aggressively minded creatures for you not to be putting guys into the red zone. The fun part for me is dissecting the many different aggressive decks in the format and finding out which is the best one.
So which is it:
– Mono Red Aggro?
– Saito Gruul?
– Saito Naya?
– B/R Zombies?
– Experiment Jund?
– Any of the various token-based strategies?
– Any of the various Naya Zoo strategies?
After doing a lot of coverage over the past three months (and much more to come, mind you), I believe I know which one it is. It all started at the SCG Invitational in Los Angeles:
Creatures (34)
- 3 Borderland Ranger
- 2 Fiend Hunter
- 4 Champion of the Parish
- 4 Avacyn's Pilgrim
- 4 Mayor of Avabruck
- 3 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
- 3 Huntmaster of the Fells
- 4 Restoration Angel
- 2 Silverblade Paladin
- 2 Zealous Conscripts
- 3 Knight of Glory
Lands (23)
Spells (3)
When Patrick Sullivan, Adrian Sullivan, and I saw Ben make it through to the Top 8 Saturday evening, curious was the best way to describe our thoughts on his decklist. It didn’t seem to make much sense to us why Naya Humans, a deck that could have existed for many months, was finally breaking through in a very established format. On the surface, this was a G/W Humans deck that cut some of the better cards from that shell (Rancor, Sublime Archangel) to splash Huntmaster of the Fells and Zealous Conscripts—two cards that are powerful but seem geared towards midrange strategies and not purely aggressive ones.
Watching Ben play in the Top 8 was a fascinating experience. Time and time again, we waited for his deck to crumble. But it never did until the finals against the incomparable Reid Duke and his Bant Control deck—a matchup Ben admitted was quite poor. So what gives?
Is Ben Wienburg a genius?
Did everyone miss a very obvious deck?
Or was it just a case of the “run goods?”
I assumed, like many, that it was simply a case of the “run goods” for Ben and moved along with my life.
Three weeks later, guess who was back?
Creatures (31)
- 2 Borderland Ranger
- 4 Champion of the Parish
- 4 Avacyn's Pilgrim
- 4 Mayor of Avabruck
- 3 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
- 4 Huntmaster of the Fells
- 4 Restoration Angel
- 4 Silverblade Paladin
- 2 Zealous Conscripts
Lands (23)
Spells (6)
This was a fitting end to the final Return to Ravnica Standard tournament. Naya Humans, a deck that was getting almost no press, made another finals appearance at a large tournament, and for the life of me, I could not figure out how or why.
The deck just looked so…
Average.
I was experiencing a decent amount of frustration. I consider myself quite good with linear aggressive decks (Kithkin, Affinity, etc.), and I couldn’t figure out a few things:
– Why was this deck better than G/W Humans? G/W Humans was a deck that could do a lot of damage very quickly. If I’m going to be aggressive, I’d rather be the deck with Rancor and Sublime Archangel.
– Was this the best Thalia, Guardian of Thraben deck? A card that briefly defined Standard didn’t seem to be that great of an idea with so many Pillar of Flames running around.
– Why did the mana work so well? Without Stomping Grounds and Sacred Foundry, those splashes felt rather ambitious. Yes, the red splash was minor and Clifftop Retreat / Rootbound Crag were holding up their end of the bargain, but for how long?
These were all questions that I could answer. The problem was that I didn’t like any of the answers, so I kept plugging away with Mono-Red Aggro and B/R Zombies.
And then this happened:
Creatures (31)
- 4 Champion of the Parish
- 4 Avacyn's Pilgrim
- 4 Mayor of Avabruck
- 3 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
- 3 Huntmaster of the Fells
- 3 Restoration Angel
- 4 Silverblade Paladin
- 3 Nearheath Pilgrim
- 3 Frontline Medic
Lands (23)
Spells (6)
Not again!
Except this time, it finally hit me why this deck was winning. Maybe it was just a matter of happenstance, but after watching the semifinals between Tyler Lindsey and Joseph Herrera, it hit me like a bolt of lightning:
Naya Humans is the only aggressive deck in Standard that can play both offense and defense.
One of the big flaws of B/R Zombies and Mono-Red Aggro is that neither deck can really defend itself. They are both hyperaggressive strategies, and if being hyperaggressive isn’t ideal in the particular matchup that they’re in or if they’re on the draw against another hyperaggressive deck, they aren’t all that potent. This shouldn’t come as much of a surprise when you analyze the cards within the decks:
– Gravecrawler
– Geralf’s Messenger
– Stromkirk Noble
– Lightning Mauler
– Rakdos Cackler
– Diregraf Ghoul
The above are all cards that are much more interested in attacking than blocking. However, when looking at a Naya Humans decklist, you will find cards that can play both roles:
– Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
– Frontline Medic
– Huntmaster of the Fells
– Restoration Angel
– Silverblade Paladin (to a lesser extent, but it does bring first strike to the party)
These are cards that can play on both sides of the ball. And in a format defined by aggressive strategies, that makes all the difference in the world.
Clarity. It’s a beautiful thing.
Now it’s time to get to work.
As some of you may know, there are three very relevant Standard tournaments coming up this weekend: Pro Tour Gatecrash in Montreal, SCG Standard Open: Cincinnati, and SCG Classic Series: Daytona Beach. If I were attending one of them, I would play the following:
Creatures (30)
- 4 Champion of the Parish
- 4 Avacyn's Pilgrim
- 4 Mayor of Avabruck
- 3 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
- 4 Huntmaster of the Fells
- 4 Restoration Angel
- 4 Silverblade Paladin
- 3 Frontline Medic
Lands (23)
Spells (7)
A few housekeeping notes:
Play four of your best cards please. I’ve seen a lot of versions of Naya Humans that aren’t running four Huntmaster of the Fells and four Restoration Angels. That makes little to no sense to me because they are arguably the best two cards in the deck. In a format full of aggressive strategies, I want to draw as many of these as possible.
Pacifism has never looked so good. In case you weren’t aware, Boros Reckoner is over $20. The reason for that is pretty simple: the card is incredible. As such, you need a way to deal with it outside of hoping your opponent doesn’t draw it or can’t afford it. Searing Spear isn’t an ideal answer, but Bonds of Faith certainly is. Not only does it shut down the Minotaur Wizard, but it also takes care of commonly played problematic creatures like:
– Vampire Nighthawk
– Olivia Voldaren (it being a large blocker is just as relevant as its pinging ability)
– Thragtusk
– Augur of Bolas (unlikely that this will occur, but having the option is nice)
– Flinthoof Boar
– Loxodon Smiter
– Restoration Angel
– Dreg Mangler
– Ghor-Clan Rampager
– Falkenrath Aristocrat
– Thundermaw Hellkite
– Plenty of others that I can’t think of
And when you’re in the Human mirror? I guess your creatures will just be better than your opponent’s. Think of Bonds of Faith as an additional Searing Spear that trumps Boros Reckoner and has synergy with the majority of your deck (sorry, Restoration Angel).
Why not Rest in Peace? Below is the list for Humanimator that Brian Braun-Duin played to second place at SCG Standard Open: Atlanta:
Creatures (17)
- 4 Fiend Hunter
- 4 Huntmaster of the Fells
- 4 Angel of Glory's Rise
- 1 Cathedral Sanctifier
- 4 Cartel Aristocrat
Lands (23)
Spells (20)
What you’ll find in his sideboard is three copies of Ray of Revelation to trump opposing Rest in Peace. What you won’t find is a way for Brian to remove a Grafdigger’s Cage. And if a Grafdigger’s Cage is in play, their deck has to play a fair game of Magic. Who do you think wins in a fair game of Magic?
How’s the view on that high horse? My view is pretty nice, and yours can be too! Riders of Gavony is a card that is often forgotten about, and for good reason. Its power level is undeniable, but there really hasn’t been a good home for it yet. However, if Naya Humans is as good of a deck as I believe it is, mirror matches will be common. Is there a better way to win the mirror than to give all your creatures protection from all of their creatures?
The little Charm that could. As the format begins to figure itself out, control decks will begin to arise. And when they do, Boros Charm will be ready to make their mass removal spells like Supreme Verdict and Mizzium Mortars rather embarrassing. Now, if people move towards Mutilate, we’ll have a whole new problem…
Standard is a format that changes a lot. I believe Naya Humans will be a very good deck for the foreseeable future, but much like Mono-Red Aggro, it can be easily beaten if people want to beat it. With that being said, I think this is a great place to be for this particular weekend.
Things will change next weekend due to the results of the Pro Tour, but until then, enjoy casting Bonds of Faith on Boros Reckoner!
See ya next week!