Wow what a season! What a format! It's just days before the final major event of the year the SCG Invitational in Charlotte tops off one of the most exciting diverse and interesting Standard formats in years especially considering this is a "small" Standard with just five sets. First of all let's take a look at the top sixteen from the final SCG Open of the season.

SCG St Louis Top 16

Illusions 4

W/u Humans 2

Wolf Run Ramp 2

Wolf Run Naya 2

Wolf Run Jund 1

U/R Delver 1

Mono-Red 1

Solar Flare 1

Grixis Control 1

U/B Infect 1

Interesting! It is clear that the evolution is continuing and suggests that we will see further changes next week to close out the year! Before we take a look at the top 16 decklists let's start by looking at the metagame data as a whole. First if we organize these archetypes into the macro-archetypes we have been seeing we get a picture that is slightly easier to work with:

SCG St Louis Top 16 Macro

Wolf Run 5

Illusions 4

Misc Haunt Aggro 2

R/x Aggro 2

U/x Control 1

Solar Flare 1

B/x Infect 1

Clearly Wolf Run and Illusions were this weekend's most popular successful decks though it was Mono-Red that took the title preying on a top 8 containing six blue aggro decks (traditionally good matchups for Mono-R). Let's take a look at how this new data impacts the Worlds Metagame:

Archetypes	Worlds Metagame	SCG St Louis Top16	Suggested Meta***
Illusions	15.7%	25.0%	18.8%
Wolf Run	10.1%	31.3%	17.2%
R/x Aggro	14.3%	12.5%	13.7%
U/x Control*	16.5%	6.3%	13.1%
Misc Haunt Aggro**	11.5%	12.5%	11.8%
G/W Tokens	16.8%	0.0%	11.2%
Solar Flare	10.1%	6.3%	8.8%
B/x Infect	1.0%	6.3%	2.8%
Other	4.0%	0.0%	2.7%

* U/x Control is any non-Solar Flare blue Control deck (U/B U/W Grixis Esper)

**Misc Haunt Aggro is any non-Illusions Moorland Haunt deck (W/u Humans U/W Blade Tempered Steel Puresteel)

***Suggested Meta calculated using 67% Worlds Metagame data 33% SCG St Louis

Here we see the top two macro strategies from Worlds G/W Tokens and U/x Control both cool off a bit (which makes sense considering both under-performed at Worlds overall). Keep in mind that by merging the top 16 data from St. Louis we are adding a bit of variance into the data (as sixteen decks is not a big sample size nor reflective of the overall popularity of the decks in question). What it is a good barometer of is perception. The more recently decks have done well the more useful the information. Additionally whatever did well last week has generally always seen a surge in popularity in the SCG Open Era. The Suggested Meta isn't about what we think the field will play as a whole; it is more about what the strong players and players at the 2-0 table or 4-1 table will play as well the players in the top 8. These are the decks that you will have to beat to win the event and provide a good estimate of how much testing time to allocate to each.

Illusions and Wolf Run both performed well at Worlds and saw a surge in popularity both of which we will discuss in greater detail in the decklist breakdown below. It is important to note that Wolf Run consistently overperforms at SCG Opens whereas U/x Control generally underperforms (compared to GPs and PTs). This is surely somewhat a function of Wolf Run being a combination of easier to play with better against amateur players and easier to net deck whereas U/x Control seems to be some combination of harder to play with worse against amateur players and/or harder to net deck (aka requires more change from week to week).

Now that we have come to the end of the season I'd like to take a look back at the metagame as it has evolved from week-to-week. We have said time after time that the metagame has continued to fluctuate all season long. What if we take a look at all the data side-by-side?

Innistrad Standard Metagame History:

Archetype	Indy	Nashville	Brisbane/ States	Baltimore	Hiroshima/ KC	Vegas	Worlds	St Louis	Total
Misc Haunt Aggro	25.0%	12.5%	17.4%	12.5%	28.8%	25.0%	11.5%	12.5%	18.15%
Wolf Run	0.0%	6.3%	33.6%	31.3%	24.3%	6.3%	10.1%	31.3%	17.9%
Solar Flare	18.8%	43.7%	11.9%	6.3%	11.7%	0.0%	10.1%	6.3%	13.6%
U/x Control	18.8%	18.8%	14.9%	6.3%	13.7%	12.5%	16.5%	6.3%	12.7%
G/W Tokens	6.3%	6.3%	8.0%	12.5%	10.3%	25.0%	16.8%	6.3%	11.4%
R/x Aggro	21.9%	6.3%	9.8%	6.3%	9.1%	6.3%	14.3%	12.5%	10.8%
Illusions	3.1%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	12.5%	15.7%	25.0%	6.9%
B/x Infect	0.0%	0.0%	2.0%	25.0%	4.4%	0.0%	1.0%	6.3%	4.8%
Pod	6.3%	6.3%	2.1%	0.0%	3.9%	12.5%	4.0%	0.0%	4.4%

While this chart may be brain-candy in many regards it does have quite a number of interesting features that are worth considering. For instance Misc Haunt Aggro is #1 across the season but has appeared to "decline" in recent weeks. The biggest reason for Misc Haunt Aggro's "decline" is that it used to constitute a number of major archetypes (U/W Blade W/u Humans Tempered Steel) which have seen their numbers fall as Illusions have taken over.

Illusions is probably the most interesting history on the chart as Todd Anderson invented the archetype week 1 but almost no one gave it the credit it deserved despite Todd claiming week after week that the deck was off-the-charts. After a month of almost no one giving it the time of day Todd's championing finally won over a few converts. This began a chain reaction that has quickly snowballed into the biggest deck in the format over the past three weeks the deck to beat.

Solar Flare amusingly has been one of the most consistently solid finishers all season long though I would like to point out that Solar Flare has still never won anything. Six SCG Opens two Grand Prix the World Championships and not a single Solar Flare title. Solar Flare only converted in 8.3% of States and Providential Championships despite putting nearly twice that into the top 8s. Personally if you are willing to settle for Solar Flare's manabase I don't see why you stop at three colors.

Wolf Run taking nearly 18% despite only being known by the field in 6/8 of the weeks is impressive. Also of note is how much more variation we see in Wolf Run decks than we ever did in Valakut.

G/W Tokens is another consistent finisher that slowly gained popularity and is now slowly waning. R/x Aggro has almost the exact opposite history starting extremely popular then falling as people "figured out the format" only to surge in popularity in recent weeks as a response to the metagame that at this point is actually the meta-meta-meta-meta-meta-meta-meta-metagame!

Finally we have the fringe archetypes B/x Infect and Birthing Pod which have not always shown up but have ended up at the top tables on enough occasions that they cannot be fully discounted. What I find fascinating is that despite only five legal sets Innistrad Standard has so many different kinds of decks.

Haunt

W/u Humans

U/W Blade

Tempered Steel

Puresteel

Wolf Run

Wolf Run Ramp

Wolf Run Green

Wolf Run Naya

Wolf Run Jund

Solar Flare

U/W/b

W/B/u

U/B/w

U/x Control

U/B Control

U/W Control

Grixis

Esper

RUG

UWR

G/W Tokens

G/W Crusader

W/g Intangible Virtue

R/x Aggro

Mono-Red

Wolf Run Red

R/U Delver

Illusions

B/x Infect

Mono-B

U/B Infect Tez

Pod

Bant Pod

BUG Pod

RUG Pod

Naya Pod

B/G Pod

Innistrad is truly a triumph for development. Here's to hoping Dark Ascension comes even close to living up to the bar set by Innistrad and one of the best formats ever! Alright let's take a look at the top 16 from St Louis:

As mentioned Mono-Red is back in a big way. With naturally strong matchups against blue aggro decks like Illusions (their worst mainstream matchup) Mono-Red is in a fantastic position. The complete opposite of Solar Flare Mono-Red is not the highest on raw power but it is fast consistent and performs well against "good decks" having won half of the SCG Opens this season! Also of note Solar Flare is among Mono-Red's worst matchups due to the combination of early removal answers to Shrines Timely Reinforcements and "sixes." Mono-Red is one of my Grixis deck's more challenging matchups and part of the reason Michael Jacob has been experimenting with actual Five-Color Control (gaining Timely Reinforcements among other upgrades) though in many ways his build is just Solar Flare with Ancient Grudge and Desperate Ravings.

Dowty's maindeck is an exact port of David Caplan's 6-0 Mono-R from Worlds other than 3 Rootbound Crags added to support a pair of Ancient Grudges in the board (replacing a Manic Vandal and an Arc Trail). Additionally Dowty has replaced Koth of the Hammer with Hero of Oxid Ridge out of the board to gain extra percentage against Timely Reinforcements. Most notable about Caplan/Dowty's list is the use of Volt Charge over Brimstone Volley as well as the inclusion of the full package of Gut Shots Goblin Fireslingers Stormblood Berzerkers and Chandra's Phoenix and no maindeck four drops.

What does the future hold for Mono-Red? Well we are sure to see another surge in Mono-Red hate (and rightfully so). This means Mono-Red will probably dip a little again but is still one of the major decks in the format and an absolute must for this week's gauntlet. If Mono-Red dips that bodes well for Illusions which is already on top of the format and would love nothing more than to see the field packing more Timely Reinforcements Tree of Redemptions and Wurmcoil Engines. The enemy of my enemy is my friend! While the Mono-Red hate is very easy to spot and very high impact defeating Illusions is a much tougher proposition as they are aggro-control decks in the same family tree as Faeries and Caw-Blade. When decks like this are good you need more than just a couple hate cards to beat them; you need a game plan that is favorable against them on a fundamental level. You need a deck full of "good cards" (against them).

Here is the highest finishing Illusion deck of the weekend though Illusions is the archetype we see the least variation in. Without question this needs to be deck #1 in your gauntlet this week.

The biggest change we see is the adoption of GerryT's Geist of Saint Traft switch from Stitched Drake. Gerry said the list he was suggesting was going to be very close to the list we were going to see do well in St Louis and he was right on the money. The only difference between McGregor's list and Gerry's is that he is still using the full four Gut Shots instead of a two/two split with Mental Misstep (a change we may still see soon).

How does this deck get away with only seven white mana? Simple Ponder + Gitaxian Probe + Snapcaster Mage. Gitaxian Probe effectively shrinks us down to 57 anyway; then Ponder gives us over an 80% chance of hitting white mana or another Ponder or a Snapcaster (if we are digging to it). Add to this that Snapcasters let us recycle our card draw and we are look at about a 90% chance of hitting a white by turn 3! Once again we are seeing the power of the Xerox manabase invented by Hall of Famer Alan Comer 14 years ago (using cantrips to fix your mana so that you can have a higher spell density).

Up next we have a representative of the non-Illusions Haunt Aggro decks W/u Humans:

Waller's list is almost exactly Craig Wescoe's 6-0 Worlds list with his maindeck changes being:

-1 Mortar Pod -1 Gideon's Lawkeeper -1 Fiend Hunter

+2 Leonin Arbiter +1 Oblivion Ring

Additionally Waller has gone for a much heavier Angelic Destiny sideboard plan.

There is not really a lot to this archetype as it is just the format's real white weenie deck. Moorland Haunt is so good it forces blue mana into your deck. Once you have blue mana you might as well use Geist of Saint Traft especially since this format features so much spot removal in reaction to the plethora of cheap creatures. Additionally Mana Leak offers a line of defense against the Primeval and Inferno Titans that rip this list apart as well as devastating sweepers like Day of Judgment and Slagstorm.

While this list is solid I don't particularly recommend it. If you are looking for a white weenie deck this is certainly a respectable choice; it is just fairly middle of the road on power and positioning at the moment. If you have room for seven in your gauntlet I'd likely include W/u Humans as the Misc Moorland Haunt aggro (either that or U/W Blade since Tempered Steel has quickly proven to be just a fad). If your gauntlet has only room for five then it likely comes down to either W/u Humans U/W Blade or G/W Tokens. Moorland Haunt as a whole is slightly more popular but G/W Tokens has been on top for a while and has less variation so it is tempting to include it as the fifth deck. Still no one top 16'ed with it and it performed poorly at Worlds so it may be time to give it a time-out. Basically the fifth slot this week is definitely a wild card and should go to testing one of the tier 2 matchups that you don't have experience against.

Up next we have the other style of R/x aggro the unholy union of Mono-Red with Illusions:

Zimmerman's list is definitely a bit different than previous U/R Delver decks we have seen and I am a fan of his changes on the whole. First of all the biggest weakness of U/R Delver decks is their manabase (well other than the fact that sometimes you don't draw Delver...). Zimmerman addresses this somewhat by cutting a Mountain for an Island relying on Ponder to more reliably fix his red. Additionally the removal of Stromkirk Noble (who NEEDS to be played on turn 1) takes pressure off of needing red mana before Pondering. The addition of Copperline Gorges to support Ancient Grudge is not a total free roll (since your Sulfur Falls enter tapped more often) but it doesn't cost much.

You can no doubt guess my reaction to Zimmerman's Desperate Ravings improving the archetype's raw power tremendously. Ravings helps fix the mana a non-zero amount plus smooths out draws later once mana-flooding can set in. Discarding Chandra's Phoenix is obviously awesome but even discarding Gut Shots Mana Leaks and extra land can be big. Finally Ravings combined with Druidic Satchel provides a crucial new dimension to the archetype and a whole lot more staying power.

Flores has been raving about the Satchel for over a month but it is tricky finding a good home. Zimmerman's list no doubt takes a few lessons from Flores's Snapcaster + Brimstone Volley + Druidic Satchel deck from States (that sadly was without Desperate Ravings due to Flores doubting the prophecy that he was well aware of...). Druidic Satchel is nice here because all three modes are actually helpful and come up. Flipping lands is what you really want to be doing with the Satchel and Ponder helps make that more likely. The next best option is making 1/1s but paradoxically that ability is better themore spells you play. It hits less often when you have more spells but each time it does it is great. The more spells you play the more able you are to convert the 1/1 into being worth a "card" whereas in creature brawls the 1/1 is often outclassed and resigned to chumping. So many Druidic Satchel decks have only 6-8 creatures making the hits come less often. Fourteen creatures plus Ponders helps this come up more often despite Zimmerman's deck still very much just being a "spell-deck." Finally the lifegain may be the weakest of the three options but it does provide a much appreciated element in a field backed to the brim with red aggro as well as just buying you time to draw more burn.

I don't see this deck taking over the format or anything but these changes might be enough to elevate U/R Delver into tier 2 (after getting absolutely demolished at Worlds). Not for the regular gauntlet; however if you are playing the same list you have been playing all season and are very familiar with most of the gauntlet matchups you may want to try a set vs. U/R Tempo just to gain some experience.

As we discussed last week here exotic control decks are among the top tier this season when you have a well-built version for that week. However playing netdeck control decks with no changes is dubious at best leading to SCG Opens consistently giving us worse showings with U/x Control despite great GP and PT performances by the cutting-edge builds. This week's U/x Control deck of the week is a Grixis variation by Timothy Jansen:

Jansen's list is fresh and full of great ideas while building on many of the strengths of Alex West's and my Grixis deck from Worlds. The most important change is the move away from red towards blue. With only seven red mana Jansen's list is definitely more of a U/B Control deck with Galvanic Blast Olivia Voldaren and Chandra the Firebrand. Obviously it breaks my heart to see Think Twice over Desperate Ravings in a Grixis deck but with only seven red mana Jansen can't afford it. That said Desperate Ravings is so much better than Think Twice I have to wonder if it's better to add more red mana and go back to Ravings (and the full four of them). The move towards blue means Dissipates instead of Slagstorms (which then leads to Black Sun's Zeniths and Life's Finale instead of Lilianas).

Perhaps the most exciting innovation in Jansen's list is the use of two copies of Sorin's Vengeance (instead of Inferno Titan and Wurmcoil Engine) which combine with the two copies of Chandra (replacing Precursor Golem which is significantly less good than he was two weeks ago). In the world where Gut Shot is great (which is the world we live in) it is not surprising that Chandra the Firebrand could start to show up. Her Ultimate isn't insane or anything but fires pretty quickly and can absolutely devastate an opponent that was "Time Walked" by three removal spells. Her ability to copy spells doesn't see a ton of play but copying an Alchemy is quite potent; copying a removal spell can be just what you need; or you can even occasionally set up the Sorin's Vengeance-haymaker.

Sorin's Vengeance is a pretty sweet card in here itself. It is not hard to sneak in some damage here or there with burn spells Snapcasters Olivia and even Stensia Bloodhalls. Even if the Vengeance doesn't kill in one hit it will drop the opponent to a precariously low total and gives you so much life you can generally set up the Snapcaster to finish the job in two turns.

Seven maindeck counterspells the full package of Snapcasters and the Sorin's Vengeance endgame combine to make this build better against Wolf Run than our Grixis list. Even Thrun which would normally punish someone for cutting the Lilianas can be answered by Black Sun's Zenith and sideboarded Phantasmal Images and Geth's Verdict.

Sorin's Thirst is a nice little touch to gain some percentage against fast aggro and would be better than the Galvanic Blast that we sideboarded (now that Mono-Red is more popular than G/W). I am a little concerned about Jansen's Mono-Red matchup as he doesn't have Wurmcoils anywhere making him crutch on the Vengeance pretty hard. Going forward I'd give some serious thought to adding a Wurmcoil or even two to the sideboard. It might be too cutesy but one copy of Sorin Markov is not out of the question though we want to be very careful not to slow ourselves down too much.

Olivia is still a stone-cold killer and one of the best creatures in the format. I cannot say enough good things about her but she is definitely the real deal to be sure and will continue to be appearing in decks for a long time to come. Additionally I have a feeling she is eventually going to cross over into Modern a little bit(!).

It is always hard to anticipate what the U/x control deck of the week will be but for this week it appears that Grixis has been the most popular on Magic Online. This week's gauntlet should have a blue control deck. You might be better off testing against Solar Flare if you have absolutely no experience with this format whatsoever; however I'd recommend adding either this build or our Worlds Grixis list as discussed here to your gauntlet if you have any amount of experience with this format and have tested against Solar Flare before. That said it is also very reasonable to use the wild card slot we described above on Solar Flare as it may not be the best deck but it is better than G/W Tokens and I don't love the other Moorland Haunt decks at the moment.

Speaking of Solar Flare...

David Thomas's Solar Flare has a few new twists. First Traveler's Amulet isn't pretty but desperate times call for desperate measures and Thomas is serious about addressing Solar's mana issues. Additionally the use of a few shufflers makes Ponder much better (which in turn makes your Snapcasters better).

Thomas's creature selection isn't unusual at all though it is important to note the lite Planeswalker suite (which is definitely a point of contention among Solar Flare advocates).

Nihil Spellbomb is kind of a sweet option for getting Sun Titan value and just gaining extra percentage against other Snapcaster decks. Dead Weight on the other hand is a very cool weapon that may not combine with Snapcaster but is just more effective at killing Stromkirk Nobles (with tapped lands) and Lord of the Unreal. Also of note Timely Reinforcements Purges Dead Weights Batterskull and Wurmcoil Engine show that Thomas is serious about wiping smiles off faces in Mono-Red matchups.

I can't in good conscious recommend Solar Flare though this format has twisted and turned so much we can't even rule out Solar Flare winning the Invitational just to spite us historians. I know I would be a lotmore interested in this list if it had four Desperate Ravings...

Finally we come to Wolf Run. After winning the World Championship due to the reinvention of Inferno Titan a new breed of Wolf Run decks has emerged that are built to punish the fast aggro decks that are so popular in the current format. Putting five into the top 16 (though interestingly zero into the top 8 where Wolf Run has traditionally been at its best) Wolf Run is surging in popularity and will surely be one of the top two decks next weekend. You absolutely must have a Wolf Run in your gauntlet this week and the most important list to get experience against is the World Champion-style list such as played by Time Karleskint:

This list has been discussed enough places and is a week old so we won't get too deep into it. Karleskint's only change to the maindeck is the use of the miser's Beast Within instead of Shock. If you have experience against this build (not just Wolf Run Ramp but specifically 4 Inferno Titan Wolf Run Ramp with 4 Sphere of the Suns and 4 Solemn Simulacrums) then it can be worth getting some experience this week against one of the new variations on Wolf Run.

First the variation that I suspect will continue to be the second most popular version of Wolf Run Wolf Run Naya.

Note this truly is a Naya deck as it features Primeval Titan Inferno Titan and Day of Judgment so calling it Wolf Run White is misleading. Trading Galvanic Blasts and Slagstorms for Oblivion Rings and Day of Judgment isn't shocking but it is interesting to see Shock 2 Devil's Play and a Sphere of the Suns become a full four Garruk Primal Hunters (which are absolutely exceptional with Day of Judgment). It is also interesting to see Sphere of the Suns become Birds of Paradise in the deck that has Day of Judgment. I wonder if Sphere of the Suns could be an option in moderation here. It is also worth noting that Viridian Emissary is nowhere to be found these days. The final twist is the use of two Wurmcoils instead of two Titans a nod to the surge of Mono-Red that Bernal correctly anticipated.

One of the best parts of Wolf Run Naya is its sideboard. Timely Reinforcements Ancient Grudge Autumn's Veil and Thrun are all very high impact and Tree of Redemption and Acidic Slime are excellent bullets for making Green Sun's Zenith much stronger. Bernal definitely had one of the best sideboards in the tournament or format.

Finally the new challenger Wolf Run Jund:

Once again Inferno Titan Primeval Titan and Olivia make it very clearly a Jund deck not just a B/G list splashing Kessig Wolf Run. In fact this is actually just the World Champ's list splashing Olivia and a couple sideboard cards. What can I say? She is just a total badass. I doubt this list will be that popular this week so I'd only recommend it if you are thinking you might be interested in playing it yourself or you just have a lot of experience against the first two. Of particular note Autumn's Veil is everywhere and counting on counterspells is not going to be enough these days.

This week's gauntlet:

1. Illusions

2. Mono-R

3. Wolf Run Ramp

4. Grixis

5. Solar Flare or G/W Tokens or W/u Humans

What is the next stage in the format's evolution? I can't be sure but I do know I consider the first three decks—Illusions Mono-R and Wolf Run—to be the big three. Whatever you play I would definitely recommend that you beat at least two out of those three as they are the biggest players this week. You know I would be looking to brew a sweet 7-color control deck but it would definitely need to evolve compared to my Worlds list.

Cheap spot removal card draw and Olivia are still an amazing recipe against Illusions. The cheap spot removal is also great against Mono-R but more life gain is needed and it is time to put Precursor Golem away as he was built to fight Oblivion Ring decks. My Worlds deck was already not optimized against Wolf Run so the move towards a million Autumn's Veils has me very interested in checking out Sorin's Vengeance as a possible way to change the rules of engagement against them. Of course U/x Control is only one possible way to attack the format. Just whatever you play keep it mana efficient and tempo oriented. Prey on low-toughness creatures. Win with either fast/consistent aggro or bomb rares and mythics.

Join me back here on Wednesday as I finish my Invitational preview including Legacy the Standard deck I would play in the Invitational (I am attending a wedding) and an exciting announcement for anyone who enjoyed the Next Level Magic e-book...

See you then!

Patrick Chapin
"The Innovator"