Have you ever asked a friend to play a deck but they just refuse to no matter how much logic you throw at them? Even if you prove it’s good with some solid results, they’re just too stubborn. That’s how I feel about The Aristocrats right now, but nobody wants to listen.
I’m here to convince you guys that The Aristocrats is back and it’s better than ever! Alright, it’s true I have had some insanely good luck, but either way Cedric asked me to provide a breakdown of The Aristocrats and a tournament report. This is probably because I might be the luckiest pilot of the deck alive in the last month, but I’ll take what I can get.
Dallas has been kind to me. After taking a semester off to graduate from college, I managed to pull back-to-back Top 4 splits in the next two tournaments I played, including one win and one 3rd place. As it turns out, sometimes taking a good break can really help. I’ll go over the deck decisions and thoughts; my friend and testing partner Sang Jung and I tweaked our list while everyone else we asked simply played Jund.
A Little Bit About Me
Well, I’ve been a professional card player off and on since I was younger, and you could always find me at the card store down in Waco, Texas. My professional career started in a game called VS System; I was able to remain on the pro circuit consistently and cash events from time to time. While making a good run at VS, it eventually died off, and I started playing highly competitive Magic. It didn’t take me very long to experience success. I made a couple of StarCityGames.com Top 8s right off the bat and eventually won a Pro Tour Qualifier for Pro Tour Nagoya. I managed to place 35th at my first Pro Tour and grabbed $1,200 and an invitation to the next Pro Tour. I managed to make day 2 of all the Pro Tours I attended, but after Wizards introduced Planeswalker Points, everything changed.
I was ranked highly in initial Planeswalker Points and was a clear shot to qualify again if I continued to grind tournaments. The problem was that I couldn’t find the drive to grind tournament after tournament since I had recently gotten a girlfriend and 24/7 Magic was beginning to turn miserable. So I decided to lay off the intense traveling for a bit and as a result forfeited my Planeswalker Points invitation as I fell off the Pro Tour wagon.
Fast-forwarding a bit, I played off again and on again but took a break so I could complete my last semester of college with a double major in Software Engineering and Networking this spring. I returned, freshly invigorated, and managed to place well in my first two tournaments.
And here I am now on the front page of StarCityGame.com!
Why I Played The Aristocrats
There are certain aspects I look for when picking a deck. It needs to be powerful, it needs to be consistent, and it needs to have good matchups. The Aristocrats is incredibly powerful due to Boros Reckoner + Blasphemous Act, and it becomes even better combined with tokens and Blood Artists. Falkenrath Aristocrat is quite powerful as well, which makes this deck fit the first criteria.
Powerful decks win games—it’s just that simple. You might have amazing matchups with some teched out RUG deck you homebrewed, but if it’s full of metagamed cards and not actually powerful cards, it’s rare to win enough matches to make it to the Top 8. You need your deck to win some games for you, and the overly teched decks seem to lose to anything random that they didn’t expect to face.
This format doesn’t seem to have much innovation. The biggest innovations have been Blasphemous Act + Boros Reckoner and throwing Thalia, Guardian of Thraben into Naya Blitz, but both of those are old news. I think that eliminates innovation in this format, and it basically comes down to picking and tweaking an already known deck, which can also include bringing an old deck back if the timing is right. In this format, it’s near impossible to come up with something good that hasn’t already been done.
After I decided to pick a deck and tweak it, I had to decide which archetype I wanted to play. Control was on a downward push due to cards like Voice of Resurgence and the success of G/B/W Reanimator. I finally decided on The Aristocrats since I have always had an affinity for Falkenrath Aristocrat. I’ve played her in many formats, and I simply love the card. That made the choice easy right from the start.
The deck is consistent in what it does and is built very well. It has great matchups against most of the popular decks in Standard too. I think your best matchup is G/B/W Reanimator because they don’t run enough removal or put you on a fast enough clock, but I honestly think you have some great advantages against nearly all the major decks out right now. Flexibility is a great strength in this deck as you can be a highly aggressive deck with no removal and a bunch of Mark of Mutinys or you can transform into a pesky defensive deck with annoying blockers, removal, and life gain.
Human Reanimator is the worst matchup for The Aristocrats because we don’t run enough hard removal. Luckily, I dodged it at both of my tournaments since it isn’t seeing a ton of play right now. Bant Hexproof is fast, but we can often race them with our Blasphemous Acts or get lucky with a Liliana of the Veil. Naya Blitz decks can win quickly, but if you can manage to stall until you land an Obzedat, Ghost Council, it’s near impossible for them to come back. Curse of Death’s Hold is a blowout against us, but if you are truly afraid of it, you can choose to include more copies of Wear // Tear.
Let’s Check Out the Lists
Creatures (20)
Planeswalkers (3)
Lands (24)
Spells (13)
Creatures (22)
- 4 Doomed Traveler
- 4 Falkenrath Aristocrat
- 4 Blood Artist
- 2 Obzedat, Ghost Council
- 4 Cartel Aristocrat
- 4 Boros Reckoner
Planeswalkers (3)
Lands (24)
Spells (11)
My Evaluations of Card Choices
Skirsdag High Priest – I was extremely unimpressed with this card. It has some generic power overall and synergy with the deck, but it’s not fast by any means. Also, by itself it’s unplayable, which doesn’t stop us from playing some cards but is still worth noting. It’s not great against control, and it’s not great against aggro, so it really doesn’t hold much value. I highly recommend cutting this card, and I think your win ratio with The Aristocrats will greatly improve.
Sorin, Lord of Innistrad – This was my main addition. Most lists only run one or maybe two, but I decided to go to three. Completely cutting all the Skirsdag High Priests and adding two Orzhov Charms and 3 Sorin, Lord of Innistrads was my initial change for the 5K I won. I simply don’t understand why more people aren’t playing Sorin in high numbers since he does everything we want here. He provides tokens, he gives us another powerhouse win condition, and he puts people on an extremely quick clock. He’s your main win condition against control decks with a bunch of sweepers and is an all-star against B/G. I understand clunkiness is a concern, but he’s simply better than most of the ineffective low-drops others might include.
Orzhov Charm – I ran these in my first list but cut them afterward. They are a decent addition when looking for instant removal to include, but I hate this card now and definitely don’t want to play it again. The main card I want to destroy is Boros Reckoner, which means I have to take three damage against an aggro deck. I don’t recommend playing this card in The Aristocrats.
Obzedat, Ghost Council – This one is amazing. Moving Obzedat to the maindeck was a great addition because Orzhov Charm was performing poorly and Obzedat is another great answer to aggro. It also freed up some sideboard space for multiple copies of Liliana of the Veil.
Obzedat isn’t bad in any matchup; it can’t be Supreme Verdicted or Detention Sphered, and it’s the best creature to have in a race. My only regret was not playing more of them. I would include one more in the sideboard moving forward because it’s the main way to beat aggro decks.
Mark of Mutiny – Threaten type cards have always been playable, and this card is no exception. The great part is Threaten effects go to the next level with The Aristocrats because of the sac outlets. If you build The Aristocrats without any copies of Mark of Mutiny, you’re simply not doing it right. Mark of Mutiny is a staple in the deck and is the main way you win some matchups.
I love it against Jund, G/B/W Reanimator, B/G, and other odd decks with big creatures. Just swap your Tragic Slips for them and go to town. Taking Thragtusk is the main target since you also gain control of the token if you toss him to an Aristocrat. Another cool interaction is stealing an undying creature like Geralf’s Messenger. If you sacrifice him, the +1/+1 counter from Mark of Mutiny will cause him to die without undying triggering.
Graveyard Hate – Simply put, I don’t believe we need any graveyard hate. Just rely solely on Mark of Mutiny and flyers.
Electrickery – This card is very mediocre. That’s why I only included one. It’s mainly for the mirror and can be a blowout there, but it’s alright against some other matchups too. If you don’t expect to face The Aristocrats, it’s okay cut this card entirely, but if you expect tons of mirror matches, I’d play two or three.
Cavern of Souls – Control is not as big anymore, and the Cavern has done nothing but screw me over. I strongly advise cutting this for a Clifftop Retreat now. Looking back, I think Cavern of Souls singlehandedly lost me my Top 4 match because I couldn’t cast my Dreadbore.
Vault of the Archangel – This land seems cute and I let my friend talk me into it, but I regret it and wouldn’t play it again. Although I did win one game with it because I had four tokens and they had Restoration Angels, it still caused me way more trouble than it was worth.
We play four Boros Reckoners, people! Ain’t nobody got time for these crappy lands!
Wear // Tear – This card is straightforward—you either need a Naturalize or you don’t. I actually didn’t use it effectively all day so I would cut it now, although if you expect Curse of Death’s Hold I’d go up to two.
Thundermaw Hellkite – This guy is the powerhouse of the deck. I quickly advocated cutting the Intangible Virtues in the sideboard for these guys because they’re great in the mirror and have a ton of other value against control decks. They can also be an even swap for Obzedat, Ghost Council if needed. Falkenrath Aristocrat followed by Thundermaw Hellkite is how I was able to steal a ton of games.
Underworld Connections – This card is pretty awful, although it’s slightly better than Sin Collector, who is incredibly awful. We need two more cards against control, and these two slots can be anything you want against them. I choose Underworld Connections because it’s the least awful of the choices without dipping too high into the curve.
Liliana of the Veil – A great new addition to the deck! This is mainly for the rise in Bant Hexproof. It doubles as a decent control card or removal with value where you might not want a Tragic Slip. I also bring them in often against aggro because I have worse cards to take out.
Memorable Moments from the Tournament
Well, it was very odd for me because the format seemingly changed overnight. After I played in the 5K I won, I had to attend two college graduations—my own and my girlfriend’s. Meanwhile, I missed two very big Magic tournaments and a new set release I probably would have attended. Luckily, the StarCityGames.com Open Series in Dallas was the week afterward, so I started to prepare for that.
I was very confused when everyone told me “The Aristocrats isn’t a deck anymore now that the new set is out.” I asked, “Why?” and no one could give me a straight answer. So I said, “Screw that, this deck can do everything!” and decided I would play it again. Luckily, it was a great decision, as I was able to go 8-0-2 during the Swiss. We tested a lot of new cards, but not many of them found their way into the deck. We were originally excited about Sin Collector, but he proved he was not going to get the job done.
It all started at the 5K. I was out of practice and eager to see my friends again at a Magic tournament. I immediately lost round 2 to the mirror, which we did not have enough cards to beat. I was able to win the rest of my rounds and make a risky draw into Top 8. Most locals had already given up hope and said that everyone from our store was X-2 or worse, forgetting about me. I somehow squeaked in the Top 8 in 8th place and took down the tournament while being on the draw every round.
Remember, this was before the new set was legal, so The Aristocrats was a fairly large deck in the format. My version was poorly positioned for the mirror because we didn’t have nearly enough sideboard hate, although this quickly worked in my favor as people stopped playing The Aristocrats as much. So after graduation, I hit up the #SCGDAL with an odd sense of confidence. I had high hopes, but I didn’t imagine I would be 8-0 and drawing into Top 8 after winning three feature matches.
I was able to win my quarterfinal match pretty easily because my opponent got a mana flooded and moved on to Top 4. We decided to split the Top 4 (lucky for me), and I lost a close one to Drew Iafrate. He was playing R/G Aggro, which can definitely get you sometimes. I managed to beat Nathan Zamora in the Swiss rounds playing the same deck, but it was very close. Not having the third Obzedat, Ghost Council hurt me there.
The opponent I beat in the finals of the 5K was playing U/W/R Control, so I felt like I at least had a chance at the SCG trophy if I was able to squeeze by Drew. Although our Top 4 match was close, it had an anti-climactic game 3 since I was unable to find a third land on time. I still believe I should have mulled to five because my six-card hand simply could not get there. It did contain two Doomed Travelers, but they were promptly answered with two Pillar of Flames.
I beat four G/B/W Reanimator decks on Saturday and felt like I was not making a ton of mistakes. Many people came up to me and complimented me on playing such a hard deck with so many decisions, but I met their compliments with confusion. I told them, “Thank you, but this deck it isn’t very hard.”
There are a lot of Blood Artist triggers to remember, but other than that I don’t think this is an overly difficult deck to pilot. Since when has remembering a trigger made you an expert pilot, right? Either way, something about The Aristocrats just syncs with me, as I have only played it in two tournaments and had outrageous results. Perhaps it’s the fact that it takes all the decks I’ve had success with in the past and resembles a similar strategy, or perhaps it’s just blind luck. Who knows?
How I Would Go About the Deck Moving Forward
I would keep the majority of the maindeck intact. The only change I would make is to switch the lands around a bit by cutting the Cavern of Souls and Vault of the Archangel for a Clifftop Retreat and a Plains. Cavern is not as necessary right now, and the Vault of the Archangel was not worth the potential mana trouble. Those lands are powerful, but consistency is everything and it’s not worth screwing up our four Boros Reckoners.
For the sideboard, I would cut a Wear // Tear, a Dreadbore, an Electrickery, and a Mark of Mutiny and add the following:
+3 anti-aggro cards
I believe the best anti aggro cards are Searing Spear, Pillar of Flame, Rolling Temblor, and Tithe Drinker. My pick right now would be Searing Spear, with Tithe Drinker a close second, though any of the above would be fine. This slot needs to be a card that can give you time against aggro decks so you can land an Obzedat, Ghost Council. I like Searing Spear because you can shoot their low-drops if needed, blast a Hellrider before it attacks, or even get a Boros Reckoner out of the way if you need to Blasphemous Act.
Here is my sideboard plan with the updated list:
G/B/W Reanimator
-3 Tragic Slip
-2 Obzedat, Ghost Council
+3 Mark of Mutiny
+2 Thundermaw Hellkite
Blitz (All Types)
+3 Searing Spear (or other anti aggro card)
+1 Obzedat, Ghost Council
I also might occasionally bring in Liliana of the Veil depending on their deck. It’s okay to lose Sorin, Lord of Innistrad or Cartel Aristocrat if needed.
You don’t need Falkenrath Aristocrat as a win condition if you have three Obzedats. I also don’t bring in the last Blasphemous Act if they play their own Boros Reckoners.
B/G
-4 Tragic Slip
-3 Blasphemous Act
-3 Boros Reckoner
+3 Mark of Mutiny
+3 Liliana of the Veil
+2 Underworld Connections
+2 Thundermaw Hellkite
Sorin, Lord of Innistrad is your main way to win this matchup.
Control (All Types)
-4 Tragic Slip
-3 Blasphemous Act
+3 Liliana of the Veil
+2 Underworld Connections
+2 Thundermaw Hellkite
Jund (and Other Midrange Decks)
-3 Blasphemous Act
-2 Tragic Slip
+3 Mark of Mutiny
+2 Thundermaw Hellkite
Don’t bother trying to Blasphemous Act combo them because they have too much removal.
Bant Hexproof
-4 Falkenrath Aristocrat
-3 Sorin, Lord of Innistrad
+3 Liliana of the Veil
+1 Blasphemous Act
+3 Searing Spear (or other anti-aggro card)
Out of 24 matches with The Aristocrats over two cash tournaments, my record is 19-2-3. I dropped a game to the mirror and to R/G Aggro in the Top 4 on Saturday (I had beaten four or five other aggro decks, but that is an extremely powerful deck and can always pull off a win). I recommend The Aristocrats for upcoming tournaments, and I hope I have talked a few players into giving it a try.
The deck is not too complicated; you just try to win with Falkenrath Aristocrat every game and throw down a Blasphemous Act on your Boros Reckoner when available. Just make sure to play slowly and to not forget any Blood Artist triggers. Blood Artist is the card that separates the seasoned players with this deck from the noobs. Also remember that the deck transforms after boarding quite often. You need to know how to switch gears against the aggro decks and how to go nuts against the control decks.
Peace everyone, and good luck with The Aristocrats!