Earlier this week, I showed you the deck I'm going to play at Grand Prix Charleston. Whether you're going to the GP or the StarCityGames.com Open Series in Seattle, you need to be prepared for the rest of the format. What's out there might surprise you...

Reanimator

This is the new face of Reanimator:

Reanimator

katsuJP

0th Place at Test deck on 11/18/2012

Standard

 

Creatures (18)

• 3 Angel of Serenity
• 3 Centaur Healer
• 1 Craterhoof Behemoth
• 4 Deathrite Shaman
• 3 Restoration Angel
• 4 Thragtusk

Lands (24)

• 1 Island
• 4 Cavern of Souls
• 1 Drowned Catacomb
• 2 Glacial Fortress
• 4 Hallowed Fountain
• 4 Hinterland Harbor
• 2 Overgrown Tomb
• 2 Sunpetal Grove
• 4 Temple Garden

Spells (18)

• 4 Forbidden Alchemy
• 4 Farseek
• 2 Lingering Souls
• 4 Tracker's Instincts
• 4 Unburial Rites

Sideboard

• 1 Acidic Slime
• 1 Centaur Healer
• 1 Craterhoof Behemoth
• 2 Evil Twin
• 3 Detention Sphere
• 1 Abrupt Decay
• 1 Ray of Revelation
• 1 Sigarda, Host of Herons
• 4 Supreme Verdict

 

It doesn't seem fair. I imagine the Japanese have their own websites with their own prolific writers churning out masterpieces like this, laughing while they look at the results of the Open Series because they know they can do it so much better. Players like Black Generation and Jun.I always seem to have the best technology, and this deck is no different.

Blue is the new red as far as Reanimator is concerned. Faithless Looting is great at what it does, but if it exiled the cards you discarded, you wouldn't play it in a normal deck. That's kind of what it's like playing Reanimator now. Everyone has hate, so cards like Faithless Looting become a liability.

Tracker's Instincts and Forbidden Alchemy allow you to fill your graveyard but also find threats to hard cast, unlike Mulch. Awkwardly enough, this version relies on Cavern of Souls to get its threats past counterspells, so something like Mulch might seem welcome. I do like taking the opposite of the all-in approach (All-out? That doesn't sound right.) where none of your cards are truly bad if they have graveyard hate. The sideboard further reflects that, with Supreme Verdict transforming them into a weird Bant Control deck if necessary.

Some quick notes:

• Lingering Souls / Craterhoof Behemoth are for Angel of Serenity wars. Evil Twin out of the sideboard also helps, and it's another way to beat Geist of Saint Traft and Deathrite Shaman in a pinch.
• Centaur Healer's stock is either rising or falling depending on who you talk to. I think Mono-Red Aggro will be on the decline shortly, at least online; I'm not sure if it ever had a real life following. However, Zombies does look poised for a comeback. You probably won't see any Crippling Blights due to Restoration Angel being around, but I'll get to that in a bit.
• I feel like the deck is light a mana source or two and the sideboard could be fleshed out a little better. Other than that, this is the best performing Reanimator deck on Magic Online by a mile.

Azorius Variants

His maindeck Jaces are somewhat strange. The deck has only 24 land and no Thought Scour, so making land drops for Sphinx's Revelation is going to be difficult. Jace makes sense since he's pretty good in the mirror (if he resolves), but it's a bold choice. He's kind of expensive, and the deck already has Angels in the four-drop spot. I shudder to think of times when Dungeon Geists or Supreme Verdict is in the deck with those as well.

I wouldn't be surprised to see some Caverns in this deck in the near future. Slayers' Stronghold is certainly good, but it's useless if you can't resolve your guy in the first place. If you're not worried about counterspells, Stronghold is better because it actually "does" something.

I like straight U/W better than this deck, but I can see merits for both. Izzet Staticaster, in particular, is a good reason to play red.

This deck will be popular. There's not much to say about it except be ready for it.

Midrange

There are plenty of options for G/X decks, usually G/W, in this format. Do you want to be token-based, planeswalker-based, or some sort of mishmash? Is Jund the best option?

I like this deck. Maindeck Underworld Connections combined with acceleration, life gain, and powerful cards is a good strategy. The only issue is that decks like these don't get to take advantage of a Cavern of Souls effect. Sure, you could trim down on utility lands and always resolve Thragtusk, but that won't win you the game by itself. The rest of the deck is full of expensive cards that are ripe for the Syncopating.

Some Duresses in the sideboard could clear that up, but that doesn't stop Snapcaster Mage or their follow-up Restoration Angel, so maybe it's not good enough. Perhaps it's all about threat density and jamming threats until they run out of counterspells—don't give them time to cantrip into more answers.

Decks like these have a chance to thrive in the format because they can actually outlast a Sphinx's Revelation. Planeswalkers, Lingering Souls, and Gavony Township give you the ability to grind anyone out if given enough time. Angel of Serenity plus sweepers looks like the major swing that it might lose to though.

This type of deck is probably a nightmare for U/W Flash. Tokens plus Intangible Virtue lock up the board, and U/W has basically no answer to that game one. Even if they sweep you post-board, you can rebuild almost immediately. A planeswalker/token hybrid might be the best version of Junk right now.

In the early stages of the game, it's tough to tell exactly what's in decks like these since there isn't a consensus best list. Do your best; try to think about what they might be playing and why. Lingering Souls doesn't mean they have Intangible Virtue, but Intangible Virtue means they have Lingering Souls.

Notice the multitude of Rest in Peace in everyone's sideboard. It's tough to be a Reanimator player right now, at least post-board.

Smiter/Angel/Thragtusk is a tough midgame for any deck to beat. I'd like to see some Cavern of Souls in a deck like this, but it's tough when the creature types are all different.

Intrepid Hero is definitely interesting, as is Staff of Nin. That's a card that's been catching on as a way to beat the midrange mirrors, and I'm tempted to try one in my U/W deck.

I think this type of G/W deck, with its Silverblade Paladins, is better positioned than the above G/W deck. Pillar of Flame should be at an all-time low this weekend, which makes that card very powerful. Wolfir Silverheart plus seven ways to give it trample is awesome against Thragtusk decks. I like Lucindo's three Restoration Angels, even without any maindeck Thragtusks. It's a big body against aggro and counters the defensive mode of Azorius Charm, which is a huge headache.

A G/W deck splashing red for...Daybreak Ranger? Brian Kibler would be proud. Sure, there are some Huntmasters in there and Zealous Conscripts in the sideboard, but Daybreak Ranger is the real hero here. It dominates midrange mirrors and can even get out of hand against U/W Flash. Thalia is another powerful card against that deck, as they have very few ways to actually remove it. Go go Cavern of Souls!

Moonmist out of the board seems like it could be devastating. And oh look, there's some more Rest in Peace.

This is a more traditional Naya deck, but I like the aggressive versions more. You might beat some decks by going over the top with Angel of Serenity, but most decks out there have the capability to go over the top of you. Naya is a color combination that's pigeonholed into going under everything because most decks have a more robust late game.

Loxodon Smiter is an odd sideboard card. After all, what's it bad against right now? I can imagine siding that guy in against everything that isn't Turbo Fog.

This is the most recent version of Batutinha's list that I could find. There's a pair of Caverns maindeck with another in the sideboard, big Garruks, and multiple Bonfires. He's very clearly worried about little creatures because he's playing the full four Pillar of Flame and Bonfire.

I like the Duresses and the Deathrite Shamans in the sideboard too. Overall, his list is well constructed. However, red is mostly a tool for fighting Zombies, and with that on the decline, white seems like the better color. You can still play things like Centaur Healer instead of Pillar of Flame and do alright against Mono-Red Aggro.

Aggro

This deck is very exciting. It's the way to go bigger that Zombies always wanted in order to beat Thragtusk. All you have to do is swap your primary colors! That means cutting Geralf's Messenger, but I assure you that's no big deal. Wolfir Avenger is a card I've been looking at lately, especially in combination with Rancor. As it turns out, he's not that much worse than Messenger.

Your creatures are more resilient, your deck is almost as fast, and you get actual green sideboard options now.

If you're trying to play a slower, most resilient Zombie deck, you should look at this one.

A while back, I posted a B/R Zombie deck that included the Mark of Mutiny / Bloodthrone Vampire combo. It looks like most, if not all, have abandoned the Treacherous Pit-Dwellers, which is a shame. That card is a gigantic beating in some matchups, but I could see how the variance might not be worth it. Obv tried Crimson Muckwader after Pit-Dwellers, but those don't look much better.

So far, the Brazilians have adopted a similar list, and it seems to be doing alright for them. There have been a couple 4-0s but mostly 3-1s, indicating that the deck still needs some work.

I never understood the Killing Wave Zombie decks. I tried playing with Killing Wave a couple times, but it gave me too many options and I was too stupid to figure out when to do it and for what amount. Maybe it's really good and I've been doing it wrong this entire time.

The first thing to note is that optimus cut the prime removal spell in Zombies: Crippling Blight. Restoration Angel is everywhere, so unfortunately we can't rely on that one to get the job done anymore. Tragic Slip was incredibly difficult to trigger morbid with, but with four Bloodthrone Vampires, suddenly it's a lot easier. Ultimate Price being the secondary removal spell makes sense since it kills Restoration Angel, which is otherwise hard to get through.

Other than that, it's pretty standard stuff. He's got Blood Artists to go with his Bloodthrone Vampires, which is pretty nice since there are fewer board sweepers and fewer removal spells in general. Triple Cavern of Souls might need to become quad.

And then we have the Deadly Allures in the sideboard. Turn 2 Smiter you say? How about you block my deathtouching Gravecrawler? I'm not sure if that's sick technology or unplayable. Either way, it's pretty sweet.

This is one of the better versions I've seen. Going hard on Pyreheart Wolf is certainly respectable, especially with Lightning Mauler. I like the sideboard Thunderbolts but have a feeling there should be more than two. Volcanic Strength shows how fun and interactive the mirror is.

My main problem is the lack of Cavern of Souls. Does Hellion Crucible ever actually do anything? If you're playing lands that won't cast Ash Zealot, they might as well ensure your Hellriders or Thundermaw Hellkites resolve.

The other thing I don't like is Reckless Waif in the sideboard. That seems more like a card you would maindeck and then side out on the draw or against similar decks with lots of early plays. Do you really gain that much value from having it as a sideboard card?

Against a deck like U/W Flash, you'll board it in on the play since on the draw they have several things they can do on turn 2. Granted, you might want them to Think Twice main phase so you can resolve your Ash Zealot, but it's still not doing anything very powerful.

Regardless, the red deck is good enough to win, notwithstanding your individual card choices.

Control

Yes, hard control does still exist. In fact, the following deck probably has a pretty good matchup against U/W Flash.

I absolutely love the lack of win conditions. Sphinx's Revelation was the missing piece in the puzzle to go this route because otherwise you didn't have enough life gain to truly stabilize. Brian Braun-Duin was quick to realize how insane Revelation is, but I just saw it as a six-mana draw three, gain three. Clearly, that's not very good. What I failed to realize is that draw three, gain three sets you up for draw six, gain six, and it spirals out of control from there.

Screw Entreat the Angels—one Elixir is all it takes.

***

These are the archetypes that I'm worried about, in order:

1. Azorius variants (U/W/R Midrange and Bant Control)
2. Reanimator
3. G/X Midrange
4. Aggro, such as Mono-Red and Zombies
5. True Control

Realistically, it's probably going to look like this:

1. U/W Flash
2. Bant Control
3. Reanimator
4. U/W/R Midrange
5. Mono-Red Aggro
6. Jund
7. G/W
8. Zombies
9. Junk

GerryT

@G3RRYT on Twitter