This week’s SCG Open Series in Kansas City marked the fifth week of M13 Standard, introducing a new serious player to the format: Mono-Green Infect. Sure, Mono-Green Infect has been around, but this was its breakthrough week, moving from theory and fun attempts to a serious tournament threat.
In addition, we were reminded of a few things, not the least of which is that we should all really be going to Kansas City more often, if for no other reason than to visit Oklahoma Joe’s. Of course, with Arthur Bryant’s, Gate’s, Jack Stack Barbeque, Oklahoma Joe’s, and more, Kansas City’s vice-grip on the barbeque game is no secret.
While Delver may still be the top dog in Standard, it has nowhere near the level of dominance that Kansas City enjoys. Various Naya and Bant Pod decks have firmly established themselves as tier 1 decks, joined by a variety of aggro decks that seem to stem from the Naya colors. G/R, G/W, Boros, and Naya without Pods have all earned the format’s respect (with Naya and G/R the most successful). Finally, Zombies, Wolf Run Ramp, and various non-Delver blue decks have all proven themselves.
Despite so many decks we can play, the format does appear to be narrowing into a few enough known elements that we can start to talk about beating it with a metagame deck. As Michael Flores is known to say, it is generally the best strategy to attack brand new formats by using the most best cards or at least doing the most powerful thing.
Early on, there is so much noise, with people just trying things or just running back existing strategies. Once the format is more known and we can distill it down to a few key components, we can design a Grixis, err, I mean, a deck to beat it.
Let’s take a look at the metagame we are on a mission to beat:
*Solar Flare, U/W Control, Esper Midrange, U/W/R Midrange **Naya, G/R, G/W, Boros
These numbers were produced by analyzing the Top 16 results from the five SCG Standard Opens since M13’s release, weighted by finish. The first column shows this week’s results, and the second averages the first four weeks. The expected metagame column averages this week with the previous month (as recent tournaments generally have more impact on the meta).
All things considered, this is a reasonably diverse metagame for Standard, albeit with more Delver than Wizards of the Coast would really like to see. We can distill it down even further, however. After all, many of these Blue Midrange decks have an awful lot of similarities to Delver decks. Also, the differences between Naya Pod and Naya Aggro are not all that numerous.
With something like 98% of the top decks falling into one of these four categories, we really don’t have that many strategies we need to beat. Identifying the similarities in them is going to be crucial. First, though, we should take a look at the new kid on the block, Mono-Green Infect.
Spells (44)
- 4 Rancor
- 12 Forest
- 2 Green Sun's Zenith
- 4 Mutagenic Growth
- 4 Apostle's Blessing
- 3 Mental Misstep
- 2 Gitaxian Probe
- 3 Gut Shot
- 4 Titanic Growth
- 2 Ranger's Guile
- 4 Wild Defiance
Sideboard
While Nick is relatively young (15), you may recognize his name from the SCG Legacy Open he made Top 4 of back in 2010 with Merfolk. This time, he wielded Mono-Green Infect on the back of Rancor in Standard.
After a promising showing from Mono-Green last week, the archetype was definitely the buzz going into this weekend. Rancor, Cathedral of War, and Wild Defiance all provide reasonable ways to pump your infect creatures. Gut Shot, Mental Misstep, Ranger’s Guile, and Apostle’s Blessing all provide interaction, and Mutagenic Growth and Titanic Growth both help finish games or win creature battles.
Green Sun’s Zenith may surprise some, with just four Glistener Elves to search up. After all, why not just play Blight Mamba? Regeneration has to help sometimes, plus this avoids the potential problem of missing after all four Elves are gone. The answer is in the sideboard. Searching up Viridian Corrupter is nothing new and Melira can win the mirror(!), but finding Diregraf Escort is the really exciting one.
This is a powerful and exciting way to combat Zombies that takes advantage of Mono-Green Infect’s ability to protect their creatures with Blessings, Mental Missteps, Guile, and pumps. This helps you dodge Tragic Slip, burn spells, and Go for the Throats, and if you can keep it on the table, you can hold off an army of Zombie threats (and make your threat unblockable).
Is Mono-Green Infect here to stay or just a flash in the pan? Well, there is little doubt it can be beaten quite easily if one is set on doing that. More than anything, it may be a reaction to the various green and white creature decks, which generally have very little removal and can’t possibly race us. I would not warp testing around it too much, as we have bigger fish to fry: Delver and the green/white creature decks. If we can beat them, that is 80% of the job, right there.
Where to start?
What about Grixis? Doesn’t Grixis beat Delver?
Sadly, no.
It used to, no question. Grixis circa February pummeled Delver circa February. Unfortunately, Restoration Angel is a helluva card. Curse of Death’s Hold used to shut a Delver deck down. Now, they have Restoration Angel and, more recently, Augur of Bolas (who still carries equipment).
Instead of everyone using Geist of Saint Traft (the enemy we know…), some use Blade Splicer, and some use neither. The recent popularity of Talrand is promising for Grixis, which is extremely good against the card, but it does highlight the difficulties that come from such a diverse mixture of Delver decks.
There is nothing intrinsic about the Grixis colors beating Delver, and before we dive head first into building decks using those colors (just to do it), we should ask ourselves, “Why?” Just as we have to have a reason to play Mono-Black (not just play it because it is romantic), so too must we have a reason to play Grixis. Remember, everything else equal, the fewer the colors, the better (no matter how much we may like 5CC). Good mana is (generally) better than mana that is not as good…
With Mono-Black, we can identify a number of incentives. Mutilate, Lashwrithe, Liliana of the Dark Realms, Phyrexian Obliterator, and so on. What is the incentive to play Grixis? Earlier this year, it gave us Whipflare (a cheap sweeper that was extremely valuable for combating the Geists and Stalkers everyone used) and Ancient Grudge (to combat their Swords and Pikes). Ravings was a straight upgrade to Think Twice in the pre-miracle world. Finally, red finishers were particularly good in that world, such as Inferno Titan, Olivia, and Devil’s Play.
So, why Grixis now?
Every time I try to brew a Grixis deck, I keep coming back to it being a U/B Control deck that looks to add Ancient Grudge. There are plenty of decent red cards, to be sure, but do they do something we need done that can’t be done better elsewhere?
For instance, why Ancient Grudge? It isn’t like destroying the second artifact is the most important challenge in Standard. Whether it is Birthing Pod or a Sword, the two-for-one isn’t the key (as it was in the world of Tempered Steel).
With apologies to Josh Utter-Leyton, let me just leave this here…
Creatures (21)
Lands (10)
Spells (29)
Right, as I was saying, there isn’t that big of a need for Grudge itself. Why not Crushing Vines? We have talked about this before, but once you are thinking about playing Ancient Grudge (and I fully understand if you aren’t…), Crushing Vines has got to be the better place to look right now, right?
Which brings us back to BUG…
Creatures (13)
Lands (19)
Spells (28)
Thragtusk lends itself to a more proactive “tap-out” plan. Grave Titan is just awesome against the green and white creature decks, plus passes the crucial “Zealous Conscripts test.” I wanted to play Bloodline Keeper in here, but it is not always the best matchup against Restoration Angel and all of your work can be undone by a timely Bonfire of the Damned. As a result, I had to go Solemn, which does help play a bit more of a ramp game.
This build doesn’t have as much card draw as I’d like, but hopefully the 187-creatures help make up for that. Alchemist’s Refuge is slightly underplayed and helps provide some utility, seeing as Drownyard is pretty weak right now. Ghost Quarter is also an option but is just so mediocre. Perhaps we are supposed to play it anyway, but the Refuge is pretty sweet with such powerful creatures to threaten at instant speed (not to mention Black Sun’s Zenith). Of course, all this has me wanting to try messing around with Yeva, the green Teferi, more…
Mind Control out of the sideboard is a response to Hero of Bladehold and Talrand rising in popularity, though it has plenty of other applications. For instance, if you face Reid Duke and his Wolf Run Blue, you could do a lot worse than Mind Controlling his Primeval Titan. It can be tough to take a Frost Titan, but hopefully the removal, permission, and discard can help slow things down.
You are probably not asking why Black Sun’s Zenith over Mutilate, though last week’s article contained a two-color deck that went the other way and prompted some surprise. Let’s just take a moment to compare Mutilate and Black Sun’s Zenith.
Mutilate’s strength is a function of how much you put into it (aka, devotion to The Dark Side). What it is not is BBBB to cast. Consider that Rock deck from last week:
Creatures (11)
Planeswalkers (3)
Lands (23)
Spells (23)
Why Mutilate over Black Sun’s? How many non-Swamps are you generally going to have in play at once? Generally, you want two green for Acidic Slime, such as a Woodland Cemetery and searching up a single Forest. These certainly don’t have to always be the first two lands you find (and generally you should be able to find three Swamps by turn 4). Still, even if you do have two of these early, Mutilate still kills the same creatures Black Sun’s would. If you Mutilate for four on turn 6, it is just as effective as Black Sun for four, except you didn’t have to spend the full six mana.
It is true that Mutilate is only temporary, meaning if you don’t finish the job, the creature is still at full strength. This can be a feature rather than a bug, however. You don’t always want to shrink your Thragtusk, and if you evolve the deck to incorporate Grave Titan, this would be even truer. The biggest thing is that saving some mana can be huge, letting you both Mutilate and have Mana Leak mana open on turn 6. Additionally, it is a real nice option to Mutilate for three or four on turn 4 or 5, something Black Sun’s cannot do effectively here.
Now, aside from the BUG deck above being three colors with only a few Swamps, it is also worth noting that Pristine Talisman changes the equation since it works better with Black Sun’s Zenith than Mutilate. That said, if you are playing Mono-Black, Mutilate is enough stronger than Black Sun’s to not care.
This Rock deck attempts to advance Mono-Black by adding Thragtusk and artifact removal. Griselbrand and Karn are definitely big trumps to win with, but I think I’d add a Grave Titan and a Diabolic Revelation to provide even more long-game trumps, perhaps cutting an Acidic Slime, a Nihil Spellbomb, a Despise, and/or a Disciple of Bolas.
I think we can probably trim a Geth’s Verdict for another Go for Throat. Tragic Slip, Crushing Vines, and Acidic Slime give us plenty of outs to Inkmoth and Liliana, Mutilate, Despise, and Black Sun’s give us plenty of outs to Geist of Saint Traft. It’s also very possible we want to see some Pristine Talisman action in here (Mutilate nombos aside).
By request, here is a starting point for the sideboard:
2 Black Sun’s Zenith
2 Grave Titan
4 Vampire Nighthawk
2 Duress
3 Distress
2 Mimic Vat
One of the reasons I am not as keen on Grixis at the moment is that a number of the best new red cards are temporarily out of position. For example Thundermaw is a powerhouse that has already shown up in a few Top 8s but won’t be at his best until the format swings back towards planeswalkers (or Lingering Souls). Of course, he is still an awesome rate and matches up well against Birds, Spirits, and anyone trying to block with a flier.
Magmaquake is another card currently suffering from the lack of popularity of planeswalkers (which is a function of how aggressive and tempo-based the format is).
There are still so many unexplored cards from M13 (heck, there are still so many unexplored cards from Avacyn Restored…). Infect may be the talk of the week, but the moment we all saw Rancor, we knew this was a possibility. What about some of the M13 cards no one has really done much with yet? Something has to throw a wrench in this cozy little Delver/Naya machine.
Anyone do anything with Worldfire yet?
Creatures (17)
- 4 Solemn Simulacrum
- 1 Elvish Visionary
- 1 Acidic Slime
- 1 Borderland Ranger
- 4 Primeval Titan
- 2 Huntmaster of the Fells
- 4 Thragtusk
Lands (14)
Spells (29)
I thought we were supposed to be brewing decks that beat Delver and Birthing Pod?
Fair point, but that is the thing about brewing. You don’t always know where it is going to lead. If you are always concerned with avoiding ideas that may make you look foolish, you are going to avoid the stupidideas that end up making you look like a genius.
Man, maybe I should have written the article about the three types of people that don’t win as much as they’d like:
- Those that want to win more, but don’t know how.
- Those that want to win more and know how, but don’t want it enough to do what it takes.
- Those that don’t even want to win more, really just wanting other people to lose more.
Yes, obviously this is the exact same as the three types of unhappy people. Also, if you know someone that feels like they are a victim that is not capable of winning more, that is a good sign they are in the first or third camp. The tough part is, as long as they care more about preserving that world view than actually improving, there is not always a lot you can do besides be a friend that is there to help them if and when they want it.
That can be one of the most frustrating parts of trying to build up a local Magic scene. When you have enough awareness about the game to see the Matrix for what it is, to see patterns in the design, but you are surrounded by people that can’t see past their own plays and the decks they copy.
When you find yourself losing patience with the local players that aren’t giving you the challenging competition you need to continually improve your game, stop a moment. Ask yourself what you are really doing and if it is working. If it isn’t, then do something else.
Insanity is doing the same thing over and over, expecting a different result.
I don’t know, I’m kind of thinking insanity is trying to follow this flow of consciousness. This is how we are going to beat Delver and Naya?
Look, the better the local scene is, the more it will push us and force us to grow stronger. All I’m saying is, instead of telling them what is good, show them the utility in thinking about it more effectively. If you tell them card A is good and card B is not, what have they really learned except for where to find a fish to eat for lunch? If you get them asking the right questions that they realize for themselves what it is they are looking for, they are much stronger forces to work with as you explore new formats, decks, and other challenges.
Maybe the next time you see them making a play you think is atrocious, ask them why they are doing that. Often, they are just repeating from memory some pattern they know. Questioning the action is far more effective than just telling them “the right play.” Besides, once in a while, they will know something you do not.
If we are going to beat Delver and Naya, we are going to need strong playtest partners. These are strong decks tuned by a million tournament players. When we sit down to test, it is important to ask ourselves what we are testing. It isn’t always about testing a certain matchup. Are we testing Thragtusk in Mono-Black? Are we testing Crushing Vines maindeck? Are we testing Tempered Steel’s position in the new format, despite no new cards?
When we can properly frame what it is we are testing, what we are looking for, then we can know what it is that is important in the testing. For instance, it is not always so important if your Mono-Black deck is beating Delver yet. What are we testing? Are the Trading Posts looking good? What about the Diabolic Revelation? Are you struggling with Swords? When we can identify what the results are really showing us between the wins, we can identify what we are really learning and how to move forward.
Sometimes, just going so far as to write down in a notebook what we tested and what we learned can make all the difference in the world when it comes to making forward progress rather than just repeating the same experiments over and over.
Here is a pair of questions for you that I challenge you to answer before reading other people’s answers in the forums (so as to try to stave off an information cascade). After answering for yourself, compare the answers to others. What does this tell us?
What are the two best cards in the format against all the Delver variants?
What are the two best cards in the format against all the Naya variants?
Patrick Chapin
“The Innovator”