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I was planning on doing a prerelease report and Limited talk, but I've got far more important thoughts on my mind. With Seattle on the horizon, and eight lovely sets in Standard to build from, we have a Standard Reborn.

These are the Alara Reborn cards I want to include in my Standard decks.

Ardent Plea
Meddling Mage
Terminate
Anathemancer
Soul Manipulation
Bituminous Blast
Demonic Dread
Thought Hemorrhage
Bloodbraid Elf
Colossal Might
Vengeful Rebirth
Behemoth Sledge
Dauntless Escort
Qasali Pridemage
Reborn Hope
Identity Crisis
Necromancer's Covenant
Zealous Persecution
Lord of Extinction
Maelstrom Pulse
Glory of Warfare
Intimidation Bolt
Enigma Sphinx
Sen Triplets
Drastic Revelation
Lavalanche
Uril, the Miststalker
Jenara, Asura of War
Wargate
Jund Hackblade
Naya Hushblade
Esper Stormblade

Of these, I believe Intimidation Bolt, Anathemancer, and Drastic Revelation to be somewhat sleepers. Can you even call cards “sleepers” when they aren't released yet? I just don't feel they are getting the respect they deserve from the message boards, articles, and random forum comments I've browsed.

Drastic Revelation is interesting because it is perhaps the best possible five-drop you could hope to cast in any kind of dedicated Grixis deck with any Unearth strategies. Maybe it’s a stretch for a competitive deck, but making this card good for your deck doesn't seem that hard. And drawing seven cards is drawing seven freaking cards. Having a few of these cards in your sixty also changes the way you can build your deck in terms of numbers, because you’re expected to see a much larger percentage of your deck with such heavy card draw. That’s all I know, yo.

Intimidation Bolt is particularly interesting because it combines an actual removal spell with Fog. Think about the times that’s happened in the history of Magic... You can certainly think of cards that have swung entire combat phases around, such as Grab the Reins, but an actual removal spell plus a Fog? Cryptic Command is the only card that comes to my mind, which says a lot for this Red/White Instant.

It's almost like comparing Derrick Rose to Kareem Abdul Jabaar. Sure, they are tied for most points scored in NBA history for rookies in the playoffs, but one is established and one is a freaking hall of famer that has changed the way we played Magic, like Kareem and Magic made magic in the 80's Laker's dynasty.

I'd vote to nominate this card to be named Derrick Rose, but everybody knows he can't play defense yet, and this is a so obviously defensive card suited for the upcoming format of heavy creature combat. The way I see things going, the control decks are going to be squelched by this next little Zombie Wizard:

ANATHEMANCER!

This guy is completely nuts, and, like Kareem and Cryptic, he will also change the way we play Magic for awhile. This is the single most important card in Alara Reborn in terms of Standard (and possibly Extended!) deck building.

“When this card comes into play, Lava Axe target opponent, you get a 2/2, and you'll be able to Flashback for a bunch more damage later on.”

Five-Color Control can't beat this card if executed correctly. The best weapon we've found against Faeries so far has been the direct damage approach to negate Bitterblossom's utility. Boat Brew and BW Tokens both have extremely non-basic manabases. The only deck unaffected is that freaking Sanity Grinding deck, for which I'm sure Stark has big plans in Seattle.

Now that we have the most powerful card in Alara Reborn, we've got to find a suitable home for our new Magus of the Moon/Fulminator Mage. I compare him to those classics because they changed the way we could build decks, much in the same fashion Anathemancer looks to abuse their pricey manabases. Instead of crippling the opponent like Moon and Mage setting up for a long and painful death, he just gives them the death penalty and skips the torturing process.

So what’s the best way to abuse this trinket? Recursion in the form of Makeshift Mannequin or Reveillark? An aggressive Jund beatdown deck with this guy as the late-game hammer? A more conservative BR aggro deck that looks to play more basics to combat opposing Anathemancers?

Let's check the options out...

Jund Aggro Featured by Kyle Sanchez on 2009-05-03 (Standard) As written about in http://www.starcitygames.com/magic/standard/17411_Down_And_Dirty_Standard_Reborn_Analyzing_Anathemancer_Options.html Print this deck!
Maindeck: Creatures 4 Anathemancer 4 Bloodbraid Elf 4 Boggart Ram-Gang 4 Figure of Destiny 4 Jund Hackblade 3 Rip-Clan Crasher 3 Tattermunge Maniac Instants 4 Incinerate 4 Terminate	Sorceries 3 Maelstrom Pulse Basic Lands 5 Mountain Lands 3 Fire-Lit Thicket 3 Graven Cairns 4 Karplusan Forest 4 Savage Lands 4 Sulfurous Springs	Stats: Average mana: 1.43 Average creature mana cost: 2.35 Average creature power: 2.15 Average creature toughness: 1.73 Deck Composition: Lands: 30.00% Basic Lands: 8.33% Sorceries: 5.00% Creatures: 43.33% Instants: 13.33%
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Maniac and Crasher and pretty questionable as serious Standard threats, but they fill the curve excellently and gain value with the numerous removal spells. The core of the deck with Figure, Hackblade, Ram-Gang, Bloodbraid Elf, and a bunch of removal is real solid, and a tempting way to attack the format, with Anathemancer being the much more effective Flame Javelin finisher.

Demonic Dread and Violent Outburst are both candidates for inclusion in here, but I'd need some more time playtesting them to see just how good they are and how often it would come up that I'd need to possibly kill a creature on turn three, which is their only downside. If I ran them I'd have to run a much more proactive deck with more creatures/burn options and I wouldn't be able to run Terminate.

Still, this deck makes a great starting point for the types of aggro decks you’re going to face from now on. Bloodbraid Elf, Anathemancer, and Jund Hackblade are all extremely potent synergistic creatures that will be rookies playing alongside each other like Michael Beasley, Mario Chalmers, and Joel Anthony on the Miami Heat.

But maybe the Green isn't needed… maybe a more Rakdos-looking deck would be better.

Rakdos Aggro Featured by Kyle Sanchez on 2009-05-03 (Standard) As written about in http://www.starcitygames.com/magic/standard/17411_Down_And_Dirty_Standard_Reborn_Analyzing_Anathemancer_Options.html Print this deck!
Maindeck: Creatures 4 Anathemancer 4 Boggart Ram-Gang 4 Demigod of Revenge 4 Figure of Destiny 4 Goblin Outlander 4 Jund Hackblade	Instants 4 Flame Javelin 4 Incinerate 4 Terminate Basic Lands 8 Mountain Lands 3 Auntie's Hovel 3 Ghitu Encampment 4 Graven Cairns 2 Reflecting Pool 4 Sulfurous Springs	Stats: Average mana: 1.73 Average creature mana cost: 2.67 Average creature power: 2.50 Average creature toughness: 2.17 Deck Composition: Lands: 26.67% Basic Lands: 13.33% Creatures: 40.00% Instants: 20.00%
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I really like Goblin Outlander right now, but this deck really isn't that good. I'd rather have Bloodbraid Elf over Demigod of Revenge, although the Flame Javelin over Maelstrom Pulse fits the burn nature of Anathemancer a bit better than the version above. The tough part is that Anathemancer gets better the longer you hold him, so he really isn't best suited as a three-drop. Man, if Momentary Blink were legal I would be all over some kind of wacky RBWu deck.

Jund Hackblade also isn't as effective in this deck given its lighter curve lacking the Maniacs, so he might be better suited as Hellspark Elemental, at which point I'd probably try to include Blightning to keep the burn theme going.

Figure of Destiny is still the focus point of these Red decks, and I believe Anathemancer to be a perfect complement to one of the most formidable Kithkin on the Goldmeadow Plains. The other non-Figure aggro approach would be in abusing him to his maximum with some set of reanimation effects. Reveillark comes to mind...

I tried making a Reveillark version with Tidehollow Sculler, Stillmoon Cavalier, and Murderous Redcap work, but really couldn't get anything profitable or quick enough to keep up with the other Red decks. My problem was that I didn't have enough control cards to slow the game down to make the reanimation plus Anathemancer a game-breaker.

But it did turn me on to a WRB Zombie deck...

WRB Zombies Featured by Kyle Sanchez on 2009-05-03 (Standard) As written about in http://www.starcitygames.com/magic/standard/17411_Down_And_Dirty_Standard_Reborn_Analyzing_Anathemancer_Options.html Print this deck!
Maindeck: Artifact Creatures 4 Tidehollow Sculler Creatures 4 Anathemancer 4 Lord of the Undead 4 Murderous Redcap 3 Reveillark 4 Stillmoon Cavalier	Instants 3 Bituminous Blast 2 Path to Exile 4 Terminate Sorceries 4 Blightning Basic Lands 2 Mountain 1 Plains 2 Swamp Lands 3 Fetid Heath 3 Graven Cairns 1 Mutavault 4 Reflecting Pool 4 Vivid Crag 4 Vivid Marsh	Stats: Average mana: 1.87 Average creature mana cost: 3.26 Average creature power: 2.26 Average creature toughness: 1.96 Deck Composition: Basic Lands: 8.33% Instants: 15.00% Creatures: 31.67% Lands: 31.67% Sorceries: 6.67% Artifact Creatures: 6.67%
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This isn't anything special, but a good look at how synergistic decks aren't always good. Bituminous Blast proved to be a pretty strong card after playing with it for awhile in this deck. It almost makes me want to run four, but the heavy three-intensive curve isn't looking to beef up the upper slots.

Blightning might not be a right fit for this deck, but I basically wanted it as another burn spell to help Anathemancer out in case the critters weren't doing their job. With Terminate and Path to Exile headlining as the format’s removal spells, Stillmoon Cavalier is a card I except to rise in application, and since he’s a zombie I had to try out what this tribe had to offer. He's pretty nice when paired with Death Baron's Skeleton and Zombie-granting Deathtouch, but I really didn't feel this deck wanted to play eight Zombie Crusade men, although the potential for such a deck is definitely possible. It might even include Graveborn Muse.

Nameless Inversion was another potential inclusion to pair with Lord of the Undead, along with Thought Hemorrhage, Thoughtseize, and Demonic Dread to ensure a removal spell or Tidehollow Sculler every time I cast it. Cascade has been very powerful so far in my testing, and will be a great source of card advantage here. The spells that actually do something, like Bloodbraid and Bituminous, are sweet and clearly format staples, but it’s the more narrow Cascade spells with which I'm more intrigued. I'm just not sure that I'm going to want to be casting Tidehollow Sculler come Seattle, but if I do I'd want to cement it with some Cascade backup.

My next few attempts were poorly spent on finding a way to put Anathemancer in a control deck...

Anathemancer Control Featured by Kyle Sanchez on 2009-05-03 (Standard) As written about in http://www.starcitygames.com/magic/standard/17411_Down_And_Dirty_Standard_Reborn_Analyzing_Anathemancer_Options.html Print this deck!
Maindeck: Artifacts 1 Loxodon Warhammer 4 Mind Stone Creatures 4 Anathemancer 4 Murderous Redcap 1 Nekrataal 1 Puppeteer Clique Instants 4 Bituminous Blast 3 Makeshift Mannequin 4 Terminate 4 Volcanic Fallout	Planeswalkers 1 Chandra Nalaar 3 Liliana Vess Sorceries 1 Banefire 1 Thought Hemorrhage Basic Lands 6 Mountain 5 Swamp Lands 4 Ghitu Encampment 4 Graven Cairns 4 Savage Lands	Stats: Average mana: 2.12 Average creature mana cost: 3.70 Average creature power: 2.10 Average creature toughness: 1.90 Deck Composition: Basic Lands: 18.64% Sorceries: 3.39% Instants: 25.42% Creatures: 16.95% Lands: 20.34% Planeswalkers: 6.78% Artifacts: 8.47%
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Despite being a rough draft, this deck was moderately successful. Basically, you hang around until their manabases catch up with them so you can come out of nowhere to kill them. Blast is particularly good in here, because Mind Stone accelerates you. The Liliana toolbox is pretty weak, and I'm sure better can be done, but I just threw in some singles that I wanted to have in certain matchups and situations.

Of all the Anathemancer options, the aggro decks with Figure look most promising. However, he also makes a great sideboard card in Five-Color Control for the mirror, and will probably show up in many more decks with many more angles that I covered today.

The point is that this guy is going to be a thorn in our deckbuilding behinds for the next couple of years, and I couldn't be more miserable. Just when Magic was on the verge of a Five-Color eclipse, this young knight comes riding from over the hilltops, bringing the light of a new day… a Standard Reborn.

Thanks for reading.

Kyle