The second week of Dragon’s Maze Standard is in the books, and it’s still short on new decks, although many new cards made their way into existing archetypes. Viashino Firstblade is the newest addition to the list, which was slotted into Naya Blitz, competing for the three mana slot with Frontline Medic. So today I’m going to present some sketches that deserve attention if you want to try something new.
First, readers suggested interesting ideas with Varolz, the Scar-Striped in the comments of my last article, so I investigated some of them in detail. The most interesting concerned the deck I liked the most from previous Standard: Jund Aggro. The deck emerged at the Pro Tour and then slowly disappeared, reemerging in the form of G/R Aggro and then Jund Aggro again in hands of Cedric Phillips himself.
Creatures (31)
- 3 Borderland Ranger
- 4 Arbor Elf
- 4 Falkenrath Aristocrat
- 4 Thundermaw Hellkite
- 4 Flinthoof Boar
- 4 Burning-Tree Emissary
- 4 Ghor-Clan Rampager
- 4 Gyre Sage
Lands (23)
Spells (6)
I was excited by this list because it took my ideas of going bigger to the next level. I spent a lot of time toying with Arbor Elf and Gyre Sage in Jund Aggro before Grand Prix Verona, but while I was always happy with the small Elf, I ultimately dismissed the larger one due to problems with inconsistency. When Gyre Sage is good, it’s amazing. But when it’s bad, it’s normally a catastrophe.
Enter Varolz.
The legendary Troll solves many of Gyre Sage’s problems because it can upgrade Sage in the late game or at least sacrifice it for some profit if there’s nothing else to do. I started by putting Varolz into Cedric’s deck, and it was fine as two-of, upgrading Borderland Rangers all the way. Nevertheless, the Troll didn’t improve the deck significantly, so I ultimately came to a more classic form where Varolz shines, potentially solving some of the deck’s weaknesses. My current attempt at Jund Aggro is the following:
Creatures (33)
- 3 Arbor Elf
- 4 Falkenrath Aristocrat
- 2 Thundermaw Hellkite
- 4 Flinthoof Boar
- 3 Dreg Mangler
- 4 Burning-Tree Emissary
- 4 Experiment One
- 3 Ghor-Clan Rampager
- 3 Gyre Sage
- 3 Varolz, the Scar-Striped
Lands (17)
Spells (10)
Varolz’s ability to utilize mana dorks in the late game is very helpful, but two copies may be better since Varolz is exciting in the mid and late game but is sometimes just too slow for the deck. Other changes include cutting Searing Spear and Dreadbore in favor of the more versatile Putrefy and a second Thundermaw Hellkite. I always played one Hellkite maindeck and was happy with it, so the second powerful threat against the revived Jund Midrange is very helpful.
The rest of the deck and sideboard is pretty common, with the notable four copies of Pillar of Flame to deal with the annoying Voice of Resurgence. Notable interesting options which I didn’t use are Rakdos’s Return (may be truly devastating with the upgraded Gyre Sage, but I prefer Bonfire of the Damned right now), Garruk Relentless, Triumph of Ferocity, and Duress, which may make the cut against control decks even though I feel fine with Domri Rade right now.
The deck is a little bit weak against Jund Midrange, but that problem is solvable. It has good matchups against Reanimator and reemerging aggressive decks like Naya Blitz. I recommend looking at Jund Aggro again, whether you like my version with Varolz, the Scar-Striped or want to go bigger with full four Thundermaw Hellkites.
One more Varolz deck that’s caught my eye but hasn’t emerged at tournaments is G/W/B Aristocrats. You can find decklists for it here and there, and I’m going to post one to add my little rock to the thing I want to become an avalanche. I found the list below interesting because it maximizes the value of sacrifice outlets and is well positioned against aggressive decks even without Boros Reckoner. Strangleroot Geist makes the list interesting and capable of more aggression (more like the original The Aristocrats than Act 2).
Creatures (29)
- 3 Skirsdag High Priest
- 4 Doomed Traveler
- 3 Strangleroot Geist
- 4 Young Wolf
- 4 Blood Artist
- 4 Cartel Aristocrat
- 3 Varolz, the Scar-Striped
- 4 Voice of Resurgence
Lands (19)
Spells (12)
Strangleroot Geist is great, but it hurts the mana base, so I cut one and play five lands that don’t produce green mana (which may still be too greedy). The rest of the maindeck is nothing new; the sideboard contains splits of Sorin and Garruk and of Sin Collector and Duress. Both splits are due to mana requirements, and Obzedat, Ghost Council is not included simply because it’s very hard to cast. The last notable card is Immortal Servitude, which saw fringe Standard play in a funny but weak combo deck. I’ve found it to be very fine sideboard card that is able to break matches against creature-based midrange decks.
Speaking of creature-based decks, the probable rise of Naya Blitz and The Aristocrats alongside the presence of Bant Hexproof may be a fine metagame for an interesting deck that I think is underrated right now: Demons!
Creatures (14)
Planeswalkers (6)
Lands (24)
Spells (16)
Before Dragon’s Maze, Demons made the Top 4 of a Magic Online PTQ, took down a Premier Event, and made an appearance in the Top 8 of a WMCQ in Russia. The deck is very effective against aggro and has a reasonable matchup against Jund Midrange (where Deadbridge Chant shines) but is weak against Reanimator and U/W/x decks, which is a significant problem. Is there a solution? I’m not sure if it exists in B/G colors, but one of the best weapons against control in Standard is a Demon, so maybe splashing red would help? There will be problems caused by the lack of Mutilate, but it’s worth trying.
Another problem with splashing red is the question “why this deck is better than Jund Midrange?” This question doesn’t have a simple, good answer. Jund Midrange is definitely more flexible, and this deck should have something special aside from the ability to maximize Sire of Insanity plus Cavern of Souls.
Creatures (17)
Planeswalkers (2)
Lands (23)
Spells (18)
Heartless Summoning may or may not work, but a turn 4 uncounterable Sire of Insanity is simply insane. This is the kind of crazy thing we have to try if we want to make this deck comparable to Jund Midrange in terms of power and playability. There are sadly no interesting Beasts to support Thragtusk, but a pair of Vampires is a welcome addition instead of Geralf’s Messenger (who may still belong in the list). I also decided to cut Farseek because there are just eight GREEN sources and the deck probably doesn’t require more, but driving the mana closer to Jund Midrange may also work.
The last deck I’m going to speak about today is the natural enemy of the previous one. You may have noticed Vraska the Unseen in both lists of Demons—this card is a rare way to deal with a deadly five mana enchantment without paying double green. Which enchantment? Assemble the Legion! Assemble the Legion decks became extinct at some point, but they gained an interesting card in Dragon’s Maze: Zhur-Taa Druid. The overload of useless mana dorks hurts the deck’s late game, but Zhur-Taa Druid is a little bit more than just a mana dork, so there’s a chance that it could help Assemble the Legion make a resurgence.
Creatures (26)
- 4 Arbor Elf
- 4 Avacyn's Pilgrim
- 4 Thundermaw Hellkite
- 4 Loxodon Smiter
- 3 Aurelia, the Warleader
- 3 Boros Reckoner
- 4 Zhur-Taa Druid
Lands (22)
Spells (12)
This deck is simple and straightforward, but it’s extremely powerful and can devastate opponents with extremely powerful threats by turn 3. The deck may also be a home for Legion’s Initiative since it helps tokens beat and can save Aurelia or Hellkite from removal at the cost of Soldier tokens (which isn’t a high cost as you will have more Soldiers next turn).
That’s all for me today, but these decks are just a small part of Standard’s hidden potential. There is G/W and B/W Tokens, various tempo decks (with or without Delver of Secrets), Grixis Control, and many more interesting ideas to explore. Gatecrash Standard evolved constantly from the set’s release to the very last week, and there’s no reason for Dragon’s Maze Standard to be less friendly to brewers! As always, you’re encouraged to post decks and ideas in the comments and discuss them!