US Regionals is approximately one month away, and I'm entering the final stage of my testing. This article is largely based on the results my playtesting has garnered on my Cabal Cemetery deck, and what I have learned about the Standard from the European Nationals Qualifiers. I have taken a tally of a hundred and sixty-two top 8 finishing decklists gathered from around the net, and here is how it breaks down.

• Mono-black or B/R beatdown: 6
• R/G beatdown: 35
• W/G beatdown: 13
• U/G beatdown: 31
• Sligh or Goblin beatdown: 9
• Misc. rogue beatdown: 2

96 beatdown decks: 60% of field

• G/B Cemetery combo: 2
• Opposition: 6
• Reanimator: 5
• Wake: 7
• Misc. rogue combo: 2

24 combo based decks: 15% of field

• MBC or Corrupter Black: 9
• Slide: 9
• Psychatog or U/B control: 22
• Misc. rogue control: 2

42 control decks: 25% of field

This is a very interesting field to play in. You cannot discount anything, since absolutely every deck has made a few top 8 showings. The tier 1 is clearly as follows:

• R/G beats: 35 top 8s
• U/G beats: 31 top 8s
• Tog: 22 top 8s

The tier 2 is much closer, but I would place it as this:

• W/G beats: 13 top 8s
• Sligh: 9 top 8s
• MBC: 9 top 8s
• Slide: 9 top 8s

I might actually call all of those decks tier 1.5, as they seem to perform well but tend to lose to Kryptonite matchups - like Slide against Tog.

The rest of the field is a mixed bag that I'm not sure I can account for in any specific way, other than to say that there are a lot of rogue spirits in Constructed Magic. It breaks down as follows:

• Wake Wish combo: 7 top 8s
• Opposition combo: 6 top 8s
• Black based beats: 6 top 8s
• All other deck types: No more than two top 8s per deck type

It seems that these are basically decks that just don't work perfectly, they may have certain buggy or less than ideal components, they may have multiple Kryptonite-style matchups, but they may have auto-losses to specific commonly used cards. These decks are around, but I feel it would be foolish to explicitly plan for them as they are represented in lower numbers and seem less capable of running the field than the other decks.

So what does that leave us with?

• 60% beatdown
• 15% combo
• 25% control

What beats beatdown? These cards do:

• Mutilate
• Smother
• Ensnaring Bridge
• Chainer's Edict
• Ghastly Demise
• Sickening Dreams
• Visara The Dreadful
• Eastern Paladin

I wouldn't really consider using the bottom list of cards, they are suboptimal and would only get used when you are maxed out of the better cards in the top list.

What beats combo? These cards do:

• Cabal Therapy
• Duress
• Mind Sludge
• Haunting Echoes
• Graveborn Muse
• Shepherd of Rot
• Rancid Earth

Again, the top list are good cards; the bottom list involves more marginal choices. Disruption in the form of discard and counterspells has always been the bane of combo. Combo decks have specific magic bullets they have to watch out for, too. They are as follows:

• Opposition - Engineered Plague, Rancid Earth, enchantment removal
• Reanimator - Coffin Purge, Withered Wretch, Ensnaring Bridge
• Wake - Enchantment removal

What cards beat control decks? These cards do:

• Cabal Therapy
• Duress
• Megrim
• Mind Sludge
• Haunting Echoes
• Shepherd of Rot
• Graveborn Muse
• Oversold Cemetery
• Unholy Grotto
• Rotlung Reanimator

There aren't any suboptimal choices even worth considering; all of the anti-control spells are very good. Luckily, a lot of these cards are already parts of the deck core - in particular, recursion always gives control decks fits. Disruption takes out their ability to control the game by drawing out counterspells and eliminating whatever few win conditions they might be running.

So what conclusions can we draw from all of this analysis? The main deck needs to be flexible, packing both anti-beatdown and anti-control elements. It should have slightly more anti beatdown tools though. The sideboard should pack cards that are good against the following decks, in this order: R/G, U/G, Tog, W/G, Slide, MBC, Sligh.

Given all of this information here is the decklist and sideboard I have settled on, it is very similar to one I posted a couple of weeks ago but the board is different and the main deck has been tweaked with a little bit.

Cabal Cemetery, A.K.A. Black Bridge, A.K.A. The Zombie Cleric Burn Deck

Maindeck
4 Festering Goblin
4 Withered Wretch
1 Shepherd of Rot
1 Undead Gladiator
4 Cabal Archon
4 Rotlung Reanimator
2 Gempalm Polluter
3 Oversold Cemetery
3 Ensnaring Bridge
3 Mutilate
4 Smother
4 Cabal Therapy
20 Swamp
3 Unholy Grotto

Sideboard:
4 Duress
3 Megrim
2 Haunting Echoes
1 Ensnaring Bridge
1 Mutilate
1 Shepherd of Rot
2 Chainer's Edict
1 free slot

Top contenders for the free slot: Mind Sludge, Graveborn Muse, Eastern Paladin, and Chainer's Edict

The only cards completely new to the deck are Undead Gladiator and Chainer's Edict. The gladiator is sort of a"mise" card, it has replaced one of the Gempalm Polluters, since they always were getting cycled early game and only two are necessary to allow for late game recursion. The Gladiator rarely comes up - but when he does, he provides a decent chump blocking body against beatdown and a decent deck churning effect against control. The Edicts are solid cards and are useful against beatdown decks where you play a lot more like MBC than anything else.

Sideboarding Strategies

Vs. Beatdown
+2 Chainer's Edict, +1 Mutilate, +1 Bridge
-1 Shepherd of Rot, -1 Undead Gladiator, -1 Cabal Therapy, -1 Gempalm Polluter

This makes you play a lot more like MBC - which is natural in this matchup, as they are much more aggressive than you are. You take three creatures out, which makes establishing the Cemetery somewhat more difficult - but this is fine, as an early-game Cemetery is a bad thing against them. You can't afford to suck up the mana or raise your hand size to compromise your Bridge until you have almost completely worn them out.

Your game 1 against most beatdown is fairly easy; your games 2 and 3 will change drastically, based, unfortunately, on luck - specifically, whether you can pull a Compost in the early game before they can cast it. Turn 2 Compost is the worst thing that can happen; you can survive it, but it's tough as your ability to win quickly is compromised without the ability to get a Cemetery running in the early game. Late game Compost doesn't matter at all, though; it's an enchantment that has to work over time, and it's not like it lets them draw a card retroactively for every black spell in your graveyard before the Compost came out. And thank God for that! (However, it does allow them R/G draw a lot of burn that goes at your head - The Ferrett, still slightly skeptical of the deck)

Side Note: The matchup vs. black beatdown is very funny. Your Gempalm Polluters do ungodly amounts of damage with so many zombies on the board; Rotlung Reanimators on both sides gets hilarious, but luckily you are better equipped to take theirs out then they are yours. They are also likely to be spending their own life at a prodigious rate to such cards as Graveborn Muse, Shepherd of Rot, and Skeletal Scrying. Always try to capitalize on the fact that you probably only have to inflict twelve points of damage against them to win if they haven't cast Corrupt. Best of all, though, they just can't do anything about Bridge.

You play a full battery of chump blockers and creature removal, meaning that your ability to stall on the ground is very good. Even Glory and Wonder aren't so bad, considering you have four Bridges and four Wretches after sideboarding. Mutilate takes care of anything reasonably sized (say, six toughness or smaller), and has solid synergy with Edict, which can be cast immediately afterward to clear the very large ones. Once again, Compost can still be a pain - but only if it comes out in the early game. You will lose against turn 2 Compost unless you can keep a Bridge in play and keep your hand size at one, or less starting on turn 5 or so. For this reason, it is almost always a good play to cast a Cabal Therapy turn 1, naming Compost; even if it fizzles, you have seen their hand for the flashback.

Against red, never let them burn you out, and use Withered Wretch aggressively just in case a Grim Lavamancer shows up later. Keep Archon activations available if your life is low; say, below eight. Haunting Echoes almost works against the burn-heavy aggro decks, but it costs too much and there is nothing you would take out for it. It is already questionable to lose a Therapy for an Edict, but I have found that the extra creature kill is usually worth more than the off chance of taking out a Compost on turn 1. The general advice is what it has always been: Block a lot, mind your life total, win in the late game with Archon recursion or something like that.

Against Combo
There is no general advice, as these decks vary in what you have to do.

Against Opposition (Opposition is a combo deck? - The Ferrett), you want to leave in your creature kill but you also want access to your two or three of your Duresses to head off the Opposition at the pass (in their hand) before it comes into play. Usually the only board strategy is:

+3 Duress
-1 Shepherd of Rot
-1 Undead Gladiator
-1 Ensnaring Bridge

This isn't as hard and non-negotiable as against beatdown. The Shepherds can help you win even in the face of Opposition locks so you might even consider putting the other one in. Undead Gladiator tends to be too slow for this match, since they will be tapping down your land most of the time. Bridge can hold off elephants and whatnot, but once they start tapping down lands it's very hard to keep your hand size low. An alternate board strategy might be:

+4 Duress
-3 Ensnaring Bridge
-1 Undead Gladiator

Against Reanimator, you probably just want to do this:

+4 Duress
-4 Smother

If you feel like going further, consider this:

+1 Bridge, +1 Graveborn Muse or Mind Sludge (if you chose it as your free slot)
-2 Mutilate

I generally like to nab reanimation methods and Buried Alive in their hand instead of trying to Smother the Doomed Necromancers. Bridge prevents you from getting attacked by large things that they reanimate, assuming that they have not accounted for this by using Nantuko Vigilante. Otherwise, just try to play beatdown. Sideboarding in a Shepherd is not necessarily a bad idea, though I don't usually find it necessary... But whatever works.

Against Wake
Definitely board in all of your disruption and beatdown.
+4 Duress
+1 Shepherd of Rot
+1 Graveborn Muse Or Mind Sludge (if it's your free slot)
-4 Smother
-1 Bridge

Bridge is way too fragile against the utility belt of Wake (even though it can hold off their win conditions; mostly, you just want to beatdown though. This is a weird matchup basically revolving around being able to beat them down before they take the game over with the wake/wish recursion combo. It's very much like playing against a more traditional deck like ProsBloom or High Tide, except that you don't lose instantly once the combo goes off. Just try to nail combo pieces in their hand while beating down with all your might. You have the added benefit that sometimes it will take them a long time to kill you after establishing control, and you might be able to squeeze through the final few points of damage while they are trying to deal twenty points to you.

Against Control
The only general advice is that you are playing beatdown in these matchups, but the three major control decks each have different strategies so they need to be dealt with independently.

Against Tog
+4 Duress, +3 Megrim, +2 Haunting Echoes, +1 Shepherd of Rot
+4 Smother, -3 Mutilate, -3 Ensnaring Bridge

Dr. Teeth will present a very pitched game 1, and very easy games 2 and 3. Just play beatdown and try your hardest to disrupt their countermagic and removal. A Megrim is big trouble for them, as it neutralizes two of the most important cards (Compulsion and Tog) in their deck and turns all of your hand destruction into Firebolts to the dome. Getting a Haunting Echoes through is pretty close to game over; all it leaves is the actual task of dealing twenty to a mostly-helpless opponent. An active Cemetery will give them fits, as they simply can't keep countering and creature killing forever, but you can keep casting creatures forever. If you get lucky and see an Upheaval in their hand, take it; they almost can't win against you without it.

It is also a good idea to use Wretch to munch their yard so Tog has less food. The only exception to this rule is if you are already holding an Echoes and a discard spell to screen it with; in that case, it is much better to go for the echoes play. Munching the yard also has the side benefit of keeping Circular Logic manageable.

Against MBC
+4 Duress, +2 Haunting Echoes, +1 Shepherd Of Rot, +1 free slot if Mind Sludge or Graveborn Muse were chosen
-4 Smother, -3 Mutilate, -1 Bridge if the free slot was used

Harder game 1, easier games 2 and 3. You are playing beatdown in all cases. The only thing you really can't let them do is cast Haunting Echoes or Mirari; Every thing else is just a nuisance but those two cards can end the game. Gun for them (and Diabolic Tutor) with your disruption, and Haunting Echoes whenever you feel like it. (It's especially nice to toast a good amount of their creature removal.) Beat down until they lose, but keep in mind that you probably have to deal closer to thirty damage in this game because of Corrupt. They can still beat you without Mirari if they get to ten land and Corrupt twice. Make sure you have Archon activations available to stay out of corrupt range; recursion will give them just as many fits as it will Tog; you won't run out of dudes but they will run out of dude killers.

Against Slide
+1 Bridge, +4 Duress, +3 Megrim, +2 Haunting Echoes, +1 free slot if Mind Sludge or Graveborn Muse were chosen
-2 Gempalm Polluter, -4 Smother, -1 Shepherd Of Rot, -3 Mutilate, -1 Undead Gladiator if free slot goes in

Game 1 is mostly a walk in the park, even though it is your hardest game against Slide. Both the R/W and the most common version of the R/W/G Slide deck will have no main deck methods of stopping your Cemetery recursion; they just can't kill things forever, even with their Lightning Rift. Archon is a crucial spell, as he is what will keep you way ahead in the burn race against the Rift. You are playing beatdown and your task is to get by their wall of creature defenses. This is hard to do in the attack phase, and extremely easy to do with a Cemetery.

Bridge needs to stay in the deck because of Exalted Angel. Just keep your hand at three; you have a lot more leniency in this game than against beatdown. Games 2 and 3 become true nightmares for them, as you board in bomb after bomb. Megrim is almost an auto-win card; if they can't cycle, they can't win. Against all the pressure you will be putting on, they won't be able to afford to just write off two damage every time they cycle. Haunting Echoes is also almost an auto-win card. Use it ASAP; if you even nail two cycling cards with it, you have done your job. The deck engine of slide relies on cycling into more cycling spells; if you cut cycling spells out of the deck, then they are likely to fizzle and run out of ammo.

Duress is amazing in this match as you have free reign over which of their necessary cards you want to hit. I usually go for Rift first, then Slide. If you see anything that can kill Enchantments, go for it. Use Cabal Therapy after Duress to take out Aven Cloudchasers and whatnot. If you see Living Wish, take it! Don't ever let them Wish for a Cloudchaser, as this can make the game very hard. Winning without Cemetery is not fun against this deck, as they are so good at controlling the attack phase. You can't really count on Grotto, either as many of these decks pack Lay Waste.

The main thing about the match against Slide is not to get cocky. Its true that you have a huge advantage, but Slide is far from helpless and a good player will wait out the game to see what happens. Just make sure you don't let them burn you out with Lightning Rift! I learned this the hard way once, as a player had saved up a handful of one-mana cyclers and waited until he had three Rifts out. He had to cycle twice at the end of my turn, tapping six land for twelve rift damage, then he untapped and during his turn did it again for another twelve points. The funny thing is, I could have survived had I left three mana open to sac my team to Cabal Archon. I got cocky and paid for it.

There will basically never be any games against slide that you can't win easily, as long as you don't let your opponent outplay you.

That's about it for the type 2 metagame, sideboarding techniques, and play strategies. There are plenty of rogue decks and rogue-ish card choices in some of the more common decks, so always be prepared for the unexpected.

I think the diversity of this field is the real strength of the Cabal Cemetery deck. To win in Standard right now, you need to be able to adapt to any match, and Cabal Cemetery is a super versatile deck featuring a solid deck engine, numerous control elements, a full squad of guys for when beatdown becomes necessary, and a robust sideboard that can tweak the deck in the desired direction. This deck packs all kinds of synergy and has a lot of redundancy in spells due to its need to topdeck most of its solutions.

The best part, though, is the built-in efficiency of so many of the spells. Every creature in your deck pulls double duty, and your spells tend to be of generically high quality. There are very few specialized cards in here that wouldn't be worth playing on their own anyway. I find that the ability to play comfortably as either beatdown or control is a huge asset, and that you feature a very unique and difficult to stop win mechanism that a lot of decks aren't prepared for or are nearly helpless against by nature. This deck has no autoloss matches, and at least one major match that is close to an autowin. Even your nemesis, Compost, doesn't spell automatic game over.

Additionally, this deck is still very much in the rogue category and as it stands now you are very unlikely to run into specific metagame hate. (As opposed to, say, Compost, which is going to be in a lot of decks - The Ferrett) That's all I've got for now; take care, all.

Next week: Developing a playtest gauntlet and some thoughts and opinions about the tier 1 decks.