I've been doing what a lot of people are doing lately: Testing for Regionals. But actually, this season seems to be set for quite an interesting competition, as Standard has rarely seen such a diverse environment. I can say with confidence that I expect nearly every major archetype to be played in numbers, and I expect to see a good amount of rogue decks as well.
This is typical of Regionals, though. It is a tournament with a highly-matured metagame, where people know what to expect and how to play the field. And that's what the focus of this article will be: Playing the field. It is one thing to bring a killer deck to a tournament, and another thing entirely to win the whole thing with it.
As I intend to with Cabal Cemetery, a tribal, recursion-based mono black control/Burning Bridge deck.
Without further ado, here is the deck...
Cabal Cemetery
4 Festering Goblin
4 Withered Wretch
2 Shepherd of Rot
4 Rotlung Reanimator
4 Cabal Archon
3 Gempalm Polluter
2 Ensnaring Bridge
3 Oversold Cemetery
3 Mutilate
4 Smother
4 Cabal Therapy
20 Swamp
3 Unholy Grotto
Sideboard:
4 Duress
3 Megrim
2 Haunting Echoes
2 Engineered Plague
2 Rancid Earth
1 Oversold Cemetery
1 Ensnaring Bridge
Before I go on, I need to give credit where it's due: This deck was developed by myself in heavy collaboration with a number of bulletin board posters elsewhere in a thread titled"New Deck: Cabal Cemetery."
Now at first glance, a lot of people don't really understand this deck, and I need to make something clear before I go on to describe the deck: this is not a Suicide Black deck, this is not an MBC deck, and this is not even a pure Cemetery deck. It is its own thing entirely - and while it may superficially resemble some of the aforementioned decks, it does not play like them at all.
With that out of the way, I will move on to a card-by-card analysis; after that will be description of how to play the deck, followed by an analysis of its matchups in the current metagame.
Card-by-Card Analysis
4 Festering Goblin
A suboptimal creature in most decks, it is extremely solid in this one. This creature is one of the best chump blockers ever printed, is a zombie, and combines excellently with Cabal Therapy. These are all good things for this deck. Always try to get a two-for-one with this card, as it can murder Birds of Paradise, Merfolk Looter, Grim Lavamancer, and any other annoying one-toughness creatures out there.
4 Withered Wretch
This is actually the only creature with an efficient mana-to-power/toughness in the deck. But don't let this fool you into thinking it's a good idea to attack with him - this deck doesn't like to attack at all if it doesn't have to. His activated ability is absolutely amazing, he is a zombie and a cleric, and he blocks just fine, too. Definitely a keeper. Don't just idly throw him away in blocking, though; make sure you are confident you won't need to use his ability against Roar of the Wurm, Wonder, Glory, and the like beforehand.
2 Shepherd of Rot
This card fulfills multiple roles in the deck, even though it is horribly inefficient mana wise. First off, it is a playable zombie cleric. Boneknitter just doesn't cut it - and don't get me started on Fallen Cleric. Second, it does direct damage, potentially large amounts of it. This is fundamentally a burn deck when it comes to winning games, and he fits the bill nicely. Third, he can chump block and still use his ability for some points - which never a bad thing, since this deck so frequently chump blocks.
That said, he burns you as much as your opponent and is not a great card against aggressive decks. It's usually a good idea to side him out for an additional Bridge and maybe an additional Cemetery against aggro decks - but he is absolutely amazing against other control decks.
4 Rotlung Reanimator
One of the backbone cards of the deck. This card makes all your clerics into twice the creatures they used to be. He basically stops ground-based attacks cold, he eventually generates infinite zombies if you have a Cemetery and an Archon active. I had to look this one up specifically, since it seemed too good to be true... But his interaction with Mutilate is outrageous. He really does replace all eligible creatures when you cast Mutilate, not just himself. If there is more than one out, a Mutilate is absolutely ridiculous, frequently leaving you with an army of six or eight zombies and your opponent with absolutely nothing.
Try not to lose this one in chump blocking, since he is the source of your endless supply of chump blockers. Smart opponents will deal with him ASAP - if you can't keep him on the board, you can at least be grateful that he provides built in two-for-one card advantage if an opponent has to use a removal spell on him.
4 Cabal Archon
Another backbone of the deck. This card makes sure all of your blockers get to smash your opponent's face before hitting the yard, and also is a way of staying alive in desperate situations. He is very efficient mana wise, as a two-point Drain Life spell used to cost four mana - the same cost as casting him and sacking him to his own ability. It has a great interaction with Rotlung Reanimator.
This is one of the main win conditions once Cemetery recursion starts going. Be careful about sending him to the grave prematurely, though, as Unholy Grotto cannot retrieve him.
3 Gempalm Polluter
Yay, another Constructed-quality Legions card! This is one of the best cards in the deck, and is true multipurpose. In the early game, it is just a cycling card with the side benefit of stocking the graveyard for the Cemetery. Once the Cemetery starts, though, this card is out of control. It will deal a couple of points a turn and draw you a card - all for two mana, and it can't be countered. This card is single-handedly the reason there are three Unholy Grottos in the deck.
In the late game, this card can end games in short order with large amounts of uncounterable loss of life hitting every turn. Once you have seen what this card does with Oversold Cemetery, you will never resort to lesser card-drawing engines again.
2 Ensnaring Bridge
This card was not in the early builds of the deck - and in retrospect, I can't understand why it wasn't. This card is single-handedly responsible for allowing the deck to win against Exalted Angel and Phantom Centaur, which are otherwise very dangerous creatures. The mana curve in this deck is very low so keeping a small hand is never a problem. You have so many chump blockers that there is no reason to fear enemy 2/2s coming through.
I am constantly vacillating between 3:2 Bridge/Mutilate and 2:3 Bridge/Mutilate. At the moment, I have chosen to use only two Bridges - since unlike Mutilates, they don't do anything in multiples. It is crucial to bring in the extra Bridge from the sideboard in absolutely any matchup where this card is effective.
3 Oversold Cemetery
The last piece of the deck's backbone. The fourth is in the board, since it's only necessary against decks that play enchantment removal. This card only comes online in the late game, since you are not playing with Buried Alive or any other fast graveyard stockers. Generally, you rely on chump blocking, Cabal Archon, and Cabal Therapy to land creatures in the grave for you.
Once this gets running, the game is basically over. I almost never lose a game where I got a Cemetery running; this is a slight exaggeration, but unless your opponent does something very drastic it's pretty much in the bag. The card advantage this deck generates off of Cemetery is ridiculous. Scenarios involving Rotlung Reanimator and Cabal Archon get out of hand, with a two-point Drain and a 2/2 zombie every turn for the low cost of four mana. It gets even crazier with a Gempalm Polluter - uncounterable life loss and a free card in hand every turn for only two mana!
3 Mutilate
Quality mass removal is always worth playing. The interaction with Rotlung Reanimator alone makes this card a powerhouse but it gets better. This is your way of handling creatures with protection from black, sending hordes of your own dudes into the grave for your Cemetery, and clearing the opponent's board when you fear they might blow up your Bridge and send a lethal strike through. Some typical power plays with this card include sacking all your dudes to Cabal Archon for a hefty Drain, then casting Mutilate to clear your opponent's full board while doing nothing to your empty side of the table.
Never hesitate to cast Mutilate if you can gain card advantage out of it; Even two-for-one advantage is worth it in most cases. In most circumstances you are free to lose guys on your own side of the board without fear as long as your opponent is losing a lot, too.
4 Smother
Amazingly good targeted removal. Nails everything that matters. No Wild Mongrel, Merfolk Looter, Grim Lavamancer, token creature of any variety, face down morphs, and especially Psychatog. They all go down for only two mana. This deck doesn't even have to worry about higher casting cost (and thus, larger) creatures at all though because of the Ensnaring Bridge.
4 Cabal Therapy
A power card in this deck. Some might see this is a strange choice, since there are no maindeck Duresses; this is quite intentional. There are really only a few problem cards you have to worry about, and the Therapy is more efficient at getting rid of them than Duress is. It can be sort of weak in game 1, but you can make some pretty good guesses based on what land you see in play... And it's an amazing combo on turn 2 with a Festering Goblin and a flashback, letting you nail at least one card of your choice for sure, possibly more, and simultaneously taking down a Birds of Paradise, Llanowar Elves, Grim Lavamancer, Merfolk Looter, and so on.
In games where you have boarded in the Duress, this gets ridiculous, giving you the ability to pull off near Mind Twists with the two spells in concert.
In the sideboard
4 Duress
Specifically there to replace Smother in matches against MBC, Slide, Tog, rogue creatureless decks. Cast before a Cabal Therapy for some rude results.
3 Megrim
A very high-tech card right now. So many decks use voluntary discard effects, and this shuts them all down. My favorite use is as a sort of enchantment control against Compulsion. In most decks, the few points of damage is nothing tangible, making this card is suboptimal - but this is a burn deck. Those points count for a lot. It replaces Mutilate vs. Tog, and Slide - but don't use it against madness decks. It is too slow to be a threat to anything playing with green mana, and you can't afford to lose a Mutilate against green.
2 Haunting Echoes
An expensive sorcery spell manawise, which is why it is not main deck. This card devastates Slide, 'Tog, and graveyard recursion decks... And it's one of your own worst nightmares, actually. Against Tog, make sure you screen this with discard spells first, as most good players will hold a Counterspell with"for Haunting Echoes only" written on it.
2 Rancid Earth
A sub-par card. Not sure what else to board but this works well enough against Opposition decks to warrant inclusion. Small help against mono black control as well.
2 Engineered Plague
Name goblins and beat Sligh. Name squirrels and beat Opposition. This might be decent again White Weenie too - not that I have seen a lot of WW around. Not that I think this deck needs help against WW.
1 Oversold Cemetery
The fourth is in the board since you really only want it in games 2 and 3 when they side in all their enchantment removal.
1 Ensnaring Bridge
Same deal as with the extra Cemetery. This does not need to be in the deck unless your opponent is playing with artifact destruction. If not having access to 4 bridges makes you nervous replace the rancid earth with one of these.
Before I go on I should note that there were a lot of cards that got tested for the deck and were cut for various reasons:
Braids, Cabal Minion
This card was basically just acting as a"win more" card. It was only really useful once Cemetery recursion was going and by that time you had more or less already won the game. Also, four mana for a 2/2 is just not acceptable.
Graveborn Muse
The most exciting card in Legions was tested, yes... And dropped from the decklist. What I discovered is that Graveborn Muse is only desirable if you intend to win in the very near future, usually by creature attack. This deck doesn't do that; attacking is a bad plan against anything except Tog, Slide, or MBC. (Attacking isn't even an especially good idea against Slide, actually.) The bottom line is that four mana is a lot to spend, and the life loss is hard to deal with. To top it all off, this card ruins Ensnaring Bridge - which is an extremely important card for this deck.
Bane of the Living
The possibility of recurring Wrath of God effects tempted many, but this card proved itself to be a poor choice as well. It way too slow, I mean way way way too slow. It sucks up all of turn 3 to play face-down and another turn to morph. Its not a zombie or a cleric, its less mana-efficient than Mutilate, and a 4/3 is not a good card for a deck that doesn't like to attack. The ability to recur this card is nothing special, as the process to set up another morph with it is slow and mana-heavy and will usually lead to you getting run over before you can do anything.
Then there is the issue of redundancy; this card does nothing Mutilate does better under the circumstances (keep in mind that you'll be taking out most of your own team most of the time even if X is one or two), and is not as good as Mutilate. This deck has no desire to run more than 3 Mutilate, in fact it may even run fewer than three depending on the taste of the deckbuilder.
The green splash
The choices green had available proved to not be worth interfering with your mana consistency.
Diabolic Tutor
This is not a combo deck, it is a control deck - and thus relies more on accumulated card advantage then singular power plays to win. Diabolic Tutor is slow, is easily countered, and doesn't accomplish anything other than improving your card selection. It would be nice to have a way to fetch an Oversold Cemetery or Ensnaring Bridge when you really need them... But the better option is to play with more copies of those cards than to run the Tutors, which just slow you down in the end and make you more vulnerable to counterspells and spot removal.
Tainted Pact
This has the same issues as Diabolic Tutor, except it's slightly faster and slightly less good at getting the cards you need. If this put cards into the graveyard instead of removing them from the game, it would be another story entirely.
Coffin Purge
Not exactly a high-profile card, but this was tested in sideboards of the earlier versions of the deck. Not a bad spell at all vs. anything with Wonder, Genesis, Glory, or flashback spells - but this deck doesn't need extra help vs. Madness decks. The sideboard slots went to more functional spells. Even the Rancid Earths are more useful than this.
Play Strategy
This deck runs sort of a counterintuitive strategy, so it is important to know exactly what you are doing while playing this deck. In general you will lose if you just try to play out your creatures and attack with them.
In the early game it is important to get a wall of blockers up to stall the ground. There are a lot of very good chump blockers in this deck and you actually want to just let them die in blocking, trading with an attacker if possible. With this deck, it can actually be good to trade a pair of 2/2s for a single three- or four-toughness attacker. It is very rare to be outraced with critters because of the interaction of your creatures with each other - not to mention the incredible creature interference in the form of the Smothers, three Mutilates, and the Ensnaring Bridges. When you have a Rotlung Reanimator out, each of your creatures has to die twice, which is why you can pull two-for-ones without sweating.
Smart opponents are careful to Shock the Reanimator before doing anything else... And this is the right play. Without a Rotlung, you have to just plain old chump block and can no longer fool around with the two-for-one blocks. Of course, if B bridge comes out you don't have to block at all since you won't really be attacked anymore.
It is very easy to totally clog your opponent's early game with this deck. Don't be imprudent, though; like any good control player, you need to keep tabs on how many cards you have and how many cards your opponent has. Due to the nature of this deck, it is easy to get up a few cards on your opponent because of the built-in card advantage of spells like Festering Goblin, Rotlung Reanimator, Mutilate. Clever use of Festering Goblin is important; clever use of Rotlung is even more important. The combination of these cards with Cabal Therapy, Cabal Archon, and creature removal spells means that you will usually enter the mid game with life in the high teens and you and your opponent both out of cards in hand. Ideally, you have a few creatures left in play - but frequently, both sides of the board are clear.
Chump blocking helps you stock your graveyard quickly and prevents damage while making your opponent expend more of his limited resources. With eighteen low-cost creatures backed by Rotlung Reanimator, it is very hard to run out of blockers. Smart opponents will remove the Rotlungs first so they don't end up perpetually behind in card advantage: If this happens, you should stop your reckless chump blocking and play more conservatively so you can make it to the mid game intact. Take pride in the fact that you have gained two-for-one advantage merely by making your opponent use a removal spell on a Rotlung Reanimator. By turn 5 or 6, your life should not be below ten or twelve (although I find that in some games it doesn't get below eighteen); if you have played correctly, your opponent should have lost his momentum completely by this time. If things are going well, it is rare to be attacked for significant damage after turn 6. If a bridge comes down, you can pretty much take it easy until they find a Naturalize or something, if they even run artifact removal.
(But who doesn't run artifact removal, with Naturalize and Disenchant so cheap? - The Ferrett, who's also slightly skeptical about the reliance of a deck that's so reliant for the win on Rotlung Reanimator and Oversold Cemetery without any card-drawing or tutoring effects, but he's willing to give this a chance)
In the mid-game, you need to set up your win. If you don't have a Cemetery or Grotto in hand, just stall. It's very nice to have a Bridge in play at this stage, but is only necessary if the opponent has a real problem card out like a large flyer or pro-black creature. The best stalling tactic is generally to try to set up a Rotlung Reanimator and a Cabal Archon. You can feed any extra clerics you draw to your Archon for some Drains, and you get to keep a zombie token around for good measure. In this stage, it is best to cycle Gempalm Polluter, even if there aren't any zombies in play - but usually, he'll be good for two or three points and a card.
Mutilate is one of the best spells you have at this stage of the game: As I said, don't hesitate to use it to get two-for-one advantage. If things have been going well your opponent's hand should be empty and playing out 2 creatures at once is basically overextending. Always make him pay for overextending. Mutilate can also lead to some surprisingly easy wins if you have a Rotlung Reanimator. It is entirely possible to clear your opponent's board and be left standing with your two zombie tokens to his empty half of the table. This is even more ridiculous with more than one Rotlung Reanimator out. If you have any Smothers left over from the early game, save them for specific situations as staying alive should be a lot easier than it was at the beginning of the game - and generically offing your opponent's creatures is not a very smart play. Sooner or later - preferably sooner - a Cemetery will show up.
In the late game you should be able to kill your opponent in 3 or 4 turns without them being able to do anything about it. Recurring a Cabal Archon while attacking with zombie tokens is one good way to win. The best way to win is to recur a Gempalm Polluter when there are two or more zombies in play. All of this is un-counterable life loss, and there is absolutely nothing that can be done to prevent it. Worship doesn't work. Circle of Protection: Black doesn't work. Counterspells don't work. You never run out of ammo like Slide decks sometimes do and your board control is very intense. To repeat: It is very hard to lose with this deck once you get late game Cemetery recursion going.
Playtesting Results with Analysis
I have been playtesting for the last two and a half weeks and there is plenty of time before Regionals still, these are the results I have come up with. All playtesting was done with a partner who was quite familiar with the workings of the Cabal Cemetery deck.
Against U/G Madness Or U/G Threshold
The matchup is highly favorable, maybe 60/40 or more in your favor. The only thing to watch out for is a big play involving Upheaval. Upheaval is just a game-winning card against any deck and is always something to watch out for; I usually gun for it with Cabal Therapy.
I would consider brining in the extra Cemetery and Bridge, since they will have a lot of early game attackers, potentially flying ones with Wonder, and they will surely board in Naturalize or Ray of Revelation or something.
Megrim might sound like a good idea in this matchup, considering how actively Wild Mongrel and Careful Study are used - but you have to keep in mind that these are all early-game effects and Megrim is a midgame card really. Megrim is definitely not for this matchup.
Every once in a while dangerous things involving Wonder and Quiet Speculation can happen, but you are pretty well shielded from this due to Withered Wretch and Ensnaring Bridge, but never forget what U/G can do if given the opportunity. They play no burn, so never chump block with a Withered Wretch; they won't be able to remove it otherwise, and they sort of can't win if he stays in play.
Against W/G Madness Or W/G Beasts
Also a highly favorable match; maybe 60/40 or so. They aren't quite as fast as U/G but they are slightly more solid with numerous life gain and board control options. Anurid Brushhopper can dodge removal spells, and is not a bad attacker to boot. Glory can be a nasty trick, but the Wretch more than handles that. Again, board in the extra bridge and Cemetery since they are likely to show up with Disenchant, Naturalize, or Ray of Revelation.
By far the scariest versions of this deck are the ones that pack Phantom Centaur and Elephant Guide. If you have no bridge this will run you over. There is basically a one-turn window to cast Mutilate to get rid of the Centaur before he goes large and smashes your head. If they went first and cast a Llanowar Elves to accelerate into a third-turn 'Taur, you may be in real trouble.
I usually use my Cabal Therapy to nail the centaurs before they're cast, since they can't be blocked and are hard to kill once they come out. Big creatures with trample may be similarly difficult, but Arrogant Wurm seems to be losing popularity these days. On the other hand, if they never see a Centaur they probably don't have much of a chance. This match is like any match vs. big creature decks; once the Bridge hits, it's pretty much game over. Even if that Bridge only buys a few turns, this is sometimes all the time you need.
Against R/G Beatdown
One of your best matchups, maybe 70/30 in your favor. Their creatures are way smaller than the other green-based beatdown decks and none of them have any evasion. They rarely make it through your wall of chumps and creature removal.
The burn-heavy builds of this deck have a shot at burning you out if you aren't judicious about using Cabal Archon; the best thing to do about this is to be aware of about how low your life can get before you are in danger of being burned out. Eight is probably the lowest number where you are still relatively safe. For those of you who are math-impaired, that is one point higher than a Volcanic Hammer and two Shocks.
There's not much to board in - maybe an extra Cemetery. It may not necessary, though, since the best they can come up with is a top decked Naturalize.
I have started to see alternate builds of this deck recently, though: The decklist Kai Budde posted is very good against Psychatog, but sort of lacks beef. It is just as easy to build this deck with Phantom Centaur, Ravenous Baloth, Blistering Firecat, and lots of mana acceleration. The big creature build of the deck may be a lot more dangerous to you, but might be a significantly rarer matchup than against the Kai Budde version. It should be easy to tell after game 1 what sort of deck you're dealing with and your play should adapt accordingly.
Against Sligh, Goblins, Mono-Red Beatdown
Almost a bye. This is your second-best matchup; maybe 80/20. I have yet to lose a match to this deck, and the odd game or two I lose usually involves no bridge and a pair of Blistering Firecats. Board in Engineered Plague just for laughs; it's hardly necessary, though. I would actually name"cat" before"goblin" with the Plague, since the goblins are really that helpless against you.
I'll give you the same caution about burn as for the R/G deck, although Sligh may even run more burn, and they definitely have Firecat. Try not to drop below eleven life (Firecat and Volcanic Hammer). Laugh evilly to yourself if you notice they opted for Clickslither or Goblin Goon over the Firecat.
Against Astral Slide
This is the true bye matchup. I have yet to even lose a game against this deck. What are they gonna do - cast Wrath of God? Really, this is a funny matchup, they are so poorly equipped against you that they generally just stare at a full hand and try to cycle for their Lightning Rifts... And after sideboarding, it's even worse. You lose all of your dead creature removal spells and acquire some power cards against them, like Megrim and Haunting Echoes. They don't even run counterspells. They just can't win.
For them to have a chance, you have to have no Bridge, no Cemetery, no Mutilate. Then they have to have an Astral Slide out and an Exalted Angel. They then need a Wrath of God in hand and two cycling cards and mana to use them all in one turn. They will have to Slide your Rotlung, then Slide their Angel, then cast Wrath - that is, if they still have those cards after a few turns of you attacking, casting Cabal Therapy, and failing to draw any of the recursive engine of the deck.
Against Psychatog
Tog is a good deck, it really is. The matchup is very close and usually comes down to them being able to get an Upheaval play through. Your best bet is to float some mana and try to Smother the Tog when it gets cast after the Upheaval - but a good 'Tog player will hold a counter for this.
I actually find that the most problematic builds of Tog are the ones that tend to use blue bounce in favor of black creature removal spells. In the board are Megrim, Duress, and Haunting Echoes; I have found Megrim to be especially effective. It severely hampers their ability to block with Psychatog, which lets you attack freely with your 2/2s. It totally shuts down Compulsion, which cuts off their access to being able to fetch more counters or an Upheaval when they need it. Duress is just solid against blue, especially against the nearly creatureless Tog deck.
I'm gonna repeat something I said above here, because it's really that important: Haunting Echoes absolutely ruins them if it goes off. Most Tog players actually keep a counterspell in their hand earmarked specifically for Haunting Echoes. If you can sneak it through with a Duress, you're set.
You board in no fewer than nine cards against them and it helps a lot. That said, this match is a tossup; 50/50 maybe. Hope that you're playing against builds that have wasted most of their sideboard on Cunning Wish targets. You would much rather face Wishes than have them board in some nasty stuff of their own - like maybe Haunting Echoes.
Slightly faster builds of this deck had a much better time against tog than the one currently being used. Of particular help against it was Graveborn Muse, which is something to keep in mind if there is a lot of Tog in your area. Muse would be a sideboard card at best, though, as this matchup is the only one where it has any value.
Against Mono Black Control, Corrupter, Etc.
This is a horrendous matchup for you. If they get off a Mirari, you are in deep trouble. Mirari clones their Corrupt, which is very bad news.
But worst of all is Haunting Echoes. They will not hesitate to turn 4 Diabolic Tutor, turn 5 Haunting Echoes - that's the worst news. Generally, you have to play around the possibility of that play - which forces you to hold cards longer, play more slowly, and set up more carefully....
Which is just enough time for them to get a Mirari active.
Sideboarding helps, but only slightly; Duresses are a sure thing and Haunting Echoes is not a bad idea either, and at least you get rid of dead creature removal spells. The Rancid Earth is not bad against them, since you need to slow down their mana development: Nailing a Cabal Coffers is a huge help. Never hold an Oversold Cemetery, as it can get Duressed away and black has no enchantment removal otherwise. Watch out for Mind Sludge, too, since your hand will tend to be larger in this matchup than it usually is. You can see how many problem cards they run; this is a very tough match. It's not totally unwinnable, just tough.
Against Opposition
Any build with green in it should be a cinch. Engineered Plague on squirrels messes them up a lot, and so does Rancid Earth. Mutilate is great, too. This is probable a 60/40 match - but I have not tested against it as much as against other decks, so it could be worse than that.
There is a U/W Opposition deck running around now that worries me more than the U/G build, since it runs more counterspells... But I haven't played against it yet. Some of the things I have heard from other people testing this deck seem to be very positive, though.
Some Of The More Interesting Rogue Decks I Have Encountered Or Been Told About:
- A red/white control deck based on Howling Mine, burn, and mass removal effects. There are no cycling cards in here; just Exalted Angel for the win.
- A blue/white turbo-Millstone deck with Howling Mine, Dreamborn Muse, and so on. It's basic blue/white control stuff, but this deck can supposedly mill an opponent out in about five turns. I've never played against it, but it sounds threatening. I tend to generically fear decks with lots of Counterspells.
- A variety of green/black decks based on graveyard recursion. The most interesting one I have seen uses Buried Alive and Genesis. I don't think anyone has perfected this build yet, or even if the cards to perfect the deck exist in standard right now but it seems dangerous if by concept alone.
Decks That I Have Not Tested Against:
- White Weenie
. This deck is almost sure to show up at least in small numbers, but I really think it's weak right now - especially against the Cabal Cemetery deck, which is outright hostile to creatures.
- Tribal Creature Decks
. This deck is itself a bit of a tribal deck - but what I'm referring to is specifically some of the decks that seem to be popping up in the Onslaught Block Constructed scene. I have heard some encouraging things about clerics, elves, and beasts, but I am not sure if any of these decks are playable in Type 2.
- Mono blue"Draw Go" decks
. Certainly not the viable archetype it use to be, I somehow expect at least a couple of players to try this one out. Again, this may be just my generic distrust of decks with a lot of counterspells kicking in here.
Conclusion
That basically wraps up the Cabal Cemetery deck. Some of the specific foils to look out for are Morningtide, Haunting Echoes, Ground Seal, Withered Wretch. Also watch out for decks running full compliments of Naturalize or Disenchant. Upheaval is always bad, if it happens... But this is just a truism, really and not specific advice for this deck.
I will be taking this deck to Regionals. I think it is a solid choice, given its playtest record and what I know about the nature of Regionals competition. It can be seen by the number of decks I mentioned in the playtesting section just how diverse Type 2 is right now, so the best advice really might be to play carefully. Be prudent, because a lot of players may be going rogue or packing some surprise cards. This deck is very self-sufficient and is also capable of controlling and disrupting an opponent's game, I think these qualities give it a good shot of winning absolutely any matchup.
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