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The more I look at the current Standard metagame, the more similarities I see with a typical Legacy field. For the first time that I can remember, decks with one or two representatives made up the largest percentage of the field. Usually, Standard has a couple of decks that claim 15% or more of the field — but in Minneapolis (and really, since M11), no deck has managed to inspire enough players to grab the large chunks of the metagame that we are used to seeing in Standard.
That’s not to say that there are not decks that deserve it – Jund, Sovereign Mythic and Super Friends have been posting strong results — but many of them remain underrepresented for their performances.
(Download the full spreadsheet here.)
|
Archetype |
# in Field |
% of Field |
Avg. Finish (120.50) |
Record |
Win% (No Mirrors) |
|
Jund |
29 |
12.08% |
85.72 |
111-62-2 |
64.00% |
|
Red Deck Wins |
21 |
8.75% |
134.67 |
48-61-1 |
44.09% |
|
Fauna Naya |
20 |
8.33% |
117.90 |
58-58-2 |
50.00% |
|
Pyromancer Ascension |
15 |
6.25% |
148.40 |
29-35-5 |
45.65% |
|
Valakut Ramp |
15 |
6.25% |
112.40 |
50-48-0 |
51.02% |
|
(Summoning Trap) |
13 |
5.42% |
116.00 |
41-41-0 |
50.00% |
|
Fauna Bant |
14 |
5.83% |
108.43 |
49-34-3 |
58.72% |
|
U/W Control |
13 |
5.42% |
113.00 |
37-35-6 |
51.28% |
|
Soul Sisters |
12 |
5.00% |
100.00 |
44-35-4 |
55.42% |
|
Eldrazi Green |
9 |
3.75% |
95.67 |
35-33-3 |
51.41% |
|
Vengevine Crabs |
8 |
3.33% |
133.13 |
24-24-0 |
50.00% |
|
Destructive Force |
7 |
2.92% |
104.43 |
24-26-0 |
48.00% |
|
(Naya) |
3 |
1.25% |
95.67 |
11-13 |
45.83% |
|
Super Friends |
7 |
2.92% |
100.29 |
24-19-2 |
55.56% |
|
Naya Allies |
6 |
2.50% |
130.33 |
17-20-1 |
46.05% |
|
Runeflare Trap |
6 |
2.50% |
127.83 |
17-16-1 |
51.47% |
|
Sovereign Mythic |
6 |
2.50% |
89.00 |
25-17-1 |
59.30% |
|
Summoning Trap |
6 |
2.50% |
128.50 |
16-20-3 |
44.87% |
|
R/W Weenie |
4 |
1.67% |
157.75 |
9-12-0 |
42.86% |
|
Esper Control |
3 |
1.25% |
146.33 |
7-11-0 |
38.89% |
|
Polymorph |
3 |
1.25% |
114.33 |
10-14-0 |
41.67% |
|
Turbo Land |
3 |
1.25% |
111.33 |
10-11-0 |
47.62% |
|
Other |
33 |
13.75% |
- Soul Sisters posted some very strong results on the day, nabbing a top 8 spot and posting a 55% win percentage. The deck feels flimsy to me — but as long as aggro decks continue to dominate the field, gaining life and turning back the clock is going to be a pretty good strategy.
- Sovereign Mythic continues to be a strong choice in this metagame (53.51% in Denver), although it is showing up in lower and lower numbers for some reason.
- Naya Allies followed up an impressive event in Denver with a whimper in Minneapolis. Looks like the deck may not be ready for its day in the spotlight, at least until some of the big boys rotate.
- Runeflare Trap continues to be the best U/R combo deck, breaking 50% and even posting a top 16 performance in Minneapolis.
- U/W Control is nowhere near the force in Standard that U/W Tap Out was. It has lost its edge against Jund, but it did manage to stay over 50% in Minneapolis, improving on U/W’s performance in Denver.
Jund – 12.08% of the Field – Won 64.00% of Matches
Example:
Jund
A Standard deck, by Ian Ellis
1st place at a StarCityGames.com Standard Open tournament in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States on 2010-08-29
Creatures
4 Bloodbraid Elf
4 Goblin Ruinblaster
2 Grave Titan
4 Putrid Leech
4 Sprouting Thrinax
Instants
1 Bituminous Blast
4 Lightning Bolt
2 Terminate
Planeswalkers
2 Garruk Wildspeaker
2 Sarkhan the Mad
Sorceries
4 Maelstrom Pulse
1 Slave of Bolas
Basic Lands
3 Forest
3 Mountain
3 Swamp
Lands
3 Dragonskull Summit
2 Lavaclaw Reaches
4 Raging Ravine
4 Savage Lands
4 Verdant Catacombs
4 Obstinate Baloth
3 Doom Blade
3 Jund Charm
4 Blightning
1 Slave of Bolas
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|
Archetype |
Jund Record Against |
|
Red Deck Wins |
8-4-0, 66.67% |
|
Fauna Naya |
7-3-0, 70.00% |
|
Pyromancer Ascension |
10-2-0, 83.33% |
|
Valakut Ramp |
9-7-0, 56.25% |
|
Fauna Bant |
7-10-0, 41.18% |
|
U/W Control |
6-3-0, 66.67% |
|
Soul Sisters |
9-5-0, 64.29% |
Jund just keeps chugging along, absolutely dominating in Minneapolis – won the event, three in the top 8, six in the top 16, twelve of the top 50. The re-ascension of Jund was helped by a friendly field of good matchups – Red Deck Wins, Fauna Naya, Pyromancer Ascension and Valakut Ramp.
The juggernaut had been kept in check by Sovereign Mythic and U/W Tap Out, but the former has seen an unwarranted decline in popularity and U/W decks have shifted to Control builds that gave back their hard-won advantage over Jund. Right now, it seems likely that Jund can go out at the top of the format.
Red Deck Wins – 8.75% of the Field – Won 44.09% of Matches
Example:
Red Deck Wins
A Standard deck, by Alissa Munson
33rd place at a StarCityGames.com Standard Open tournament in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States on 2010-08-29
Artifacts
3 Brittle Effigy
3 Relic of Progenitus
Creatures
4 Goblin Guide
3 Goblin Ruinblaster
4 Hell's Thunder
4 Hellspark Elemental
2 Kargan Dragonlord
Enchantments
3 Leyline of Punishment
Instants
4 Burst Lightning
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Searing Blaze
4 Staggershock
Sorceries
4 Earthquake
4 Flame Slash
Basic Lands
13 Mountain
Lands
4 Arid Mesa
4 Scalding Tarn
4 Teetering PeaksStats:
Average mana: 1.21
Average creature mana cost: 2.18
Average creature power: 2.71
Average creature toughness: 2.06
Deck Composition:
Artifacts: 8.00%
Enchantments: 4.00%
Basic Lands: 17.33%
Sorceries: 10.67%
Creatures: 22.67%
Instants: 21.33%
Lands: 16.00%
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|
Archetype |
Red Deck Wins Record Against |
|
Jund |
4-8-0, 33.33% |
|
Fauna Naya |
6-7-0, 46.15% |
|
Pyromancer Ascension |
2-4-0, 33.33% |
|
Valakut Ramp |
3-6-0, 33.33% |
|
Fauna Bant |
0-1-0, 0.00% |
|
U/W Control |
3-4-0, 42.86% |
|
Soul Sisters |
1-5-0, 16.67% |
What can you say when the second most-common deck doesn’t post a positive record against any of the other major players and can’t find a money finish, even with the new extended payout? When you have to run a four-mana card out of the board that is terrible if you don’t have it in your opening hand and completely dead in multiples, you might not be in a good place in the metagame. Red Deck Wins had an awful event in Minneapolis — but I fully expect it to continue to be a player, regardless of how badly it is situated in the metagame.
Fauna Naya – 8.33% of the Field – Won 50.00% of Matches
Example:
Naya Shaman
A Standard deck, by Julian Booher
11th place at a StarCityGames.com Standard Open tournament in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States on 2010-08-29
Artifacts
1 Basilisk Collar
Creatures
4 Birds of Paradise
4 Bloodbraid Elf
3 Cunning Sparkmage
4 Fauna Shaman
4 Knight of the Reliquary
2 Lotus Cobra
4 Noble Hierarch
1 Realm Razer
1 Stoneforge Mystic
4 Vengevine
3 Woolly Thoctar
Basic Lands
5 Forest
2 Mountain
2 Plains
Lands
4 Ancient Ziggurat
4 Arid Mesa
1 Evolving Wilds
2 Sejiri Steppe
1 Terramorphic Expanse
4 Verdant Catacombs
3 Lodestone Golem
1 Cunning Sparkmage
4 Obstinate Baloth
2 Journey to Nowhere
2 Manabarbs
2 Oblivion Ring
1 Linvala, Keeper of Silence
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|
Archetype |
Fauna Naya Record Against |
|
Jund |
3-7-0, 30.00% |
|
Red Deck Wins |
7-6-0, 53.85% |
|
Pyromancer Ascension |
3-2-0, 60.00% |
|
Valakut Ramp |
7-3-0, 70.00% |
|
Fauna Bant |
3-6-0, 33.33% |
|
U/W Control |
1-1-1, 50.00% |
|
Soul Sisters |
3-5-0, 37.50% |
There was a Fauna Shaman deck that performed very well in Minneapolis… But it was the Bant version, flip-flopping the results from Denver where Naya dominated. Fauna Naya continues to have a strong matchup with Valakut Ramp, but the rest of its results against the popular decks were disappointing in Minneapolis.
Pyromancer Ascension – 6.25% of the Field – Won 45.65% of Matches
Example:
Pyromancer Ascension
A Standard deck, by Matthias Hunt
20th place at a StarCityGames.com Standard Open tournament in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States on 2010-08-29
Artifacts
4 Howling Mine
Enchantments
4 Pyromancer Ascension
Instants
4 Into the Roil
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Mana Leak
Sorceries
2 Call to Mind
4 Ponder
4 Preordain
4 See Beyond
4 Time Warp
Basic Lands
9 Island
5 Mountain
Lands
4 Khalni Garden
4 Scalding Tarn
2 Dispel
2 Flashfreeze
2 Ricochet Trap
4 Spawning Breath
1 Emrakul, the Aeons Torn
4 Polymorph
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|
Archetype |
Pyromancer Record Against |
|
Jund |
2-10-0, 16.67% |
|
Red Deck Wins |
4-2-0, 66.67% |
|
Fauna Naya |
2-3-0, 40.00% |
|
Valakut Ramp |
1-2-0, 33.33% |
|
Fauna Bant |
2-2-0, 50.00% |
|
U/W Control |
1-3-2, 33.33% |
|
Soul Sisters |
1-1-0, 50.00% |
This is sad, but it’s a vast improvement over Denver – its win percentage up 6% and its top finish up thirty-three places. The deck looks like it should work, and I love Matthias’ transformational sideboard that lets him sideboard into a Polymorph deck. (Although it may say something about the deck that its best sideboard plan is to stop playing Pyromancer Ascension…)
Anyway, the deck looks like fun and it should be extremely consistent with all of the four-ofs and card drawing, but it just can’t seem to pull out a positive event.
Valakut Ramp – 6.25% of the Field – Won 51.02% of Matches
Example:
Titan Ramp
A Standard deck, by Bradley Tinney
10th place at a StarCityGames.com Standard Open tournament in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States on 2010-08-29
Creatures
1 Avenger of Zendikar
4 Bloodbraid Elf
3 Inferno Titan
3 Obstinate Baloth
4 Primeval Titan
3 Siege-Gang Commander
Instants
3 Lightning Bolt
Sorceries
4 Cultivate
4 Explore
4 Rampant Growth
Basic Lands
6 Forest
11 Mountain
Lands
1 Bojuka Bog
3 Evolving Wilds
3 Terramorphic Expanse
4 Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle
2 Gaea's Revenge
2 Back to Nature
1 Lightning Bolt
2 Ricochet Trap
3 Pyroclasm
3 Thought Hemorrhage
1 All Is Dust
1 Swamp
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|
Archetype |
Valakut Ramp Record Against |
|
Jund |
7-9-0, 43.75% |
|
Red Deck Wins |
6-3-0, 66.67% |
|
Fauna Naya |
3-7-0, 30.00% |
|
Pyromancer Ascension |
2-1-0, 66.67% |
|
Fauna Bant |
2-7-0, 22.22% |
|
U/W Control |
4-1-0, 80.00% |
|
Soul Sisters |
2-4-0, 33.33% |
I feel that Valakut Ramp may be the deck with the most pure power in Standard right now. Ramp has always been able to power out monsters, but pairing it with Valakut’s ability to turn late-ramp cards (which are usually dead) into direct damage is devastating. Even if you are able to stop the onslaught of large bodies, Valakut Ramp has the ability to throw damage right at your head, all the while building more resources and thinning out its deck. I expect these lists to tighten up a bit and for Valakut Ramp to continue to show up in even more top finishes.
Under the Radar:
Way back when we were getting the spoilers for Zendikar, there was a dream that every red player had when Warren Instigator was previewed – Siege-Gang
Commanders. Anthony Basile went all-out to live that dream with his Goblin build, with four of each. Throw in Goblin Chieftain for Haste and some burn
to clear the way, and you are well on your way to Warren Instigator living up to at least some of its original hype.
| Goblins A Standard deck, by Anthony Basile 47th place at a StarCityGames.com Standard Open tournament in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States on 2010-08-29 | ||
Creatures 4 Goblin Bushwhacker 4 Goblin Chieftain 4 Goblin Guide 4 Goblin Ruinblaster 4 Siege-Gang Commander 4 Warren Instigator Instants 4 Lightning Bolt 4 Searing Blaze Sorceries 4 Forked Bolt |
Basic Lands 10 Mountain Lands 4 Arid Mesa 4 Scalding Tarn 3 Smoldering Spires 3 Teetering Peaks | 2 Brittle Effigy 4 Dragon's Claw 2 Relic of Progenitus 3 Leyline of Punishment 4 Manabarbs |
 |
 | |
| Download this deck in Apprentice format! |
Download this deck in Magic Online Text format! | |
|
1 |
Won |
2 |
0 |
0 |
Maggio, Thomas J |
Runeflare Trap |
|
2 |
Won |
2 |
0 |
0 |
Anderson, Glenn |
Warp World |
|
3 |
Won |
2 |
0 |
0 |
Becker, Matthew M |
Fauna Naya |
|
4 |
Lost |
0 |
2 |
0 |
Meyer, Justin R |
Pyromancer Ascension |
|
5 |
Won |
2 |
1 |
0 |
Knudsen, David L |
Red Deck Wins |
|
6 |
Won |
2 |
0 |
0 |
Beck, Aaron |
Naya Allies |
|
7 |
Lost |
0 |
2 |
0 |
Cole, Dan P |
Jund |
|
8 |
Lost |
1 |
2 |
0 |
Leyden, Tony |
Jund |
|
9 |
Lost |
1 |
2 |
0 |
Carter, Zach |
Soul Sisters |
Anthony started a blistering 5-1, then ran into a pair of Jund decks and this deck’s worst nightmare – Soul Sisters. The combination of life gain and maindecked Kor Firewalkers is a nightmare for any Red deck, especially one that hopes to win through attacking.
With only one weekend left before Baltimore kicks off a packed fall for me, I am very excited about the last quarter of the StarCityGames.com Open Series. We have stops in Baltimore, Nashville, Charlotte and my home town, Boston planned for the next two months before the $50,000 Invitational in Richmond on December 3rd-5th. I will also be fitting in Grand Prix in Toronto and Nashville as well as the 2010s and PTQs for Paris, not to mention welcoming a new set and saying goodbye to Standard as we know it. The Baltimore Too Much Information will focus on how the major decks will be affected by the rotation, and what deck will benefit from the gutting of many of the staples… Which is to say that it will be just like all of the other articles that week, only with numbers.
Look for the Legacy Two-for-One TMI on Denver and Minneapolis coming later this week. I still have some crunching to do, but I hope to have it up ASAP.
-Jared
