In November, the Type 2 metagame will undertake one of its most radical shifts since the inception of the format. 'Tog has little hope without the little sucker himself and Wake is in the same boat (pun intended). Blue/Green madness will also be institutionalized by the shift. As with most Block rotations, people will begin to look at Onslaught Block Constructed decks as inspiration for the next season of Standard play. While other archetypes will easily make the shift (Goblins come to mind) I feel a certain attachment and familiarity with MWC after playing it for the entire Post-Scourge Onslaught Block season.

Let's start out with a fairly standard Block build that I've been working on since Scourge was released and see what we can improve with 8^th Edition. (Highest PTQ finish, 11^th.)

Deck
Creatures (14)
4 Exalted Angel
4 Eternal Dragon
4 Dawn Elemental
2 Akroma, Angel of Wrath

Spells (20)
4 Wing Shards
4 Akroma's Vengeance
3 Decree of Justice
2 Rain of Blades
2 Renewed Faith
2 Pacifism
3 Dragon Scales

Lands (26)
18 Plains
4 Temple of the False God
4 Secluded Steppe

Sideboard
2 Weathered Wayfarer
3 Wipe Clean
2 Oblation
2 Jareth, Leonine Titan
2 Circle of Solace
2 Rain of Blades
1 Gilded Light
1 Akroma, Angel of Wrath

If you want to take out Exalted Angel, Eternal Dragon, Dawn Elemental, Wing Shards, or Decree of Justice, please just leave now. There is no hope for you.

The first card I question is Akroma's Vengeance. Wrath of God is what we really want, so the obvious choice is to replace it entirely. I'm still drawn to the mass artifact/enchantment removal, however, and combined with the fact that it cycles I don't think that leaving two Vengeances in would be a bad thing.

Rain of Blades is primarily a metagame choice versus goblins but its ability to help Wing Shards or get past Decree of Silence may leave it as a sideboard card. For now we take it out of the main deck.

Most people I talk to are inclined to cut Renewed Faith as well. My feelings on the subject are thus; when you need it six life is a good thing; when you don't, a card and two life is even better.

Eighth Edition has the following other solid white cards to offer: Story Circle and Worship. Two Story Circles will find their way into the main deck and two Worships will make the sideboard.

Here's my build post-Eighth Edition:

Deck
Creatures (14)
4 Exalted Angel
4 Eternal Dragon
4 Dawn Elemental
2 Akroma, Angel of Wrath

Spells (20)
4 Wing Shards
4 Wrath of God
3 Decree of Justice
2 Story Circle
2 Akroma's Vengeance
2 Renewed Faith
3 Dragon Scales

Lands (26)
18 Plains
4 Temple of the False God
4 Secluded Steppe

Sideboard
2 Weathered Wayfarer
2 Wipe Clean
2 Oblation
2 Jareth, Leonine Titan
2 Karma
2 Rain of Blades
2 Worship
1 Akroma, Angel of Wrath

Okay, so there isn't much change. Eighth edition is a Core Set, after all; you can't expect it to have too many great cards for a mono color archetype. Mirrodin, of course, offers so much more. Starting with the white cards, we have:

Arrest
What we have here is a better Pacifism for one colorless more. However, it's still Pacifism.

Awe Strike
Staring down a Megatog? No sweat. Let damage go on the stack, then cast this baby. You can save your Wing Shards for next turn.

Second Sunrise
What's that, you say? Decree of Annihilation? Umm... No.

Slith Ascendant
This is obviously an amazing creature for white, with an unprecedented ability in its color; the real question is whether or not we can fit it into an already streamlined deck as far as creatures are concerned. Tempting.

That's quite a few options already - and we haven't even gotten to the artifacts yet. And this is the new artifact set! Well here's what I see as viable options:

Chalice of the Void
Goblins? No. Shock? No. Shatter? No. This is supposed to be a control deck after all.

Chrome Mox
The word Mox alone makes you want to play this gem - but the fact is that there aren't many cards you would want to remove from the game in order to speed up your mana.

Empyrial Plate
Great in the early game, but your hand tends to empty fairly fast as you race towards the game-winning Akroma. All your creatures are fat, so this is nothing but overkill.

Lightning Greaves
Giving your Eternal Dragons and Exalted Angels haste is nice. Making them untargetable is even better. The problem is there simply isn't room.

Ornithopter
Why throw in a chump blocker when you plan to Wrath of God by turn 4 anyway?

Platinum Angel
Perhaps the most awe inspiring creature in Mirrodin, the fact is that without a deck built specifically to keep you (and it) alive, it doesn't have much of a chance of surviving more than a few turns. There are simply too many ways to kill this thing. The underrated favorite? Electrostatic Shock, of course.

Honorable mention: Altar's Light, Blinding Beam, Luminous Angel, Raise the Alarm, Razor Barrier, Roar of the Kha, Solar Tide, Tempest of Light, Bottle Gnomes, Culling Scales, Fireshrieker, Leonin Sun Standard, Mind's Eye, Mourner's Shield, Solemn Simulacrum, Sword of Kaldra, Cloudpost.

Deck
Creatures (14)
4 Exalted Angel
4 Eternal Dragon
4 Dawn Elemental
2 Akroma, Angel of Wrath

Spells (20)
4 Wing Shards
4 Wrath of God
3 Decree of Justice
2 Story Circle
2 Akroma's Vengeance
2 Awe Strike
2 Chalice of the Void
1 Dragon Scales

Lands (26)
18 Plains
4 Temple of the False God
4 Secluded Steppe

Sideboard
2 Solemn Simulacrum
2 Wipe Clean
2 Oblation
2 Jareth, Leonine Titan
2 Karma
2 Second Sunrise
2 Worship
1 Akroma, Angel of Wrath

vs. Goblins (No Bidding) (MWC wins 60%)
Perhaps the most predominant archetype in the current Extended/Block/Standard environment, you can most likely bet money (if that legal at your age) on facing a fast streamlined Goblin build at your local State Champs. Those in the know realize that the Goblin deck has lost nothing post-Mirrodin and will be as strong as ever... Especially with the colorless Silver Knight slayer Pyrite Spellbomb.

So what are your options without a turn 2 Silver Knight? One is the turn 2 Loxodon Peacekeeper. The most-maligned rare in Mirrodin is in fact an incredible asset to the MWC archetype. He is un-Shockable, un-Carbonizable - and most importantly, un-Pyrite Spellbombable. Now, what you're thinking is that your going to lose him when you start winning the damage race. What your forgetting is that You're probably going to Wrath of God on turn 4 (or if it's game two, drop Worship). Suddenly the 4/4 elephant isn't so bad for 1W.

Also, watch out for Flashfires.

vs. Goblin Bidding (MWC wins 75%)
As evidenced by the recent MTG.com article, Goblin Bidding looks ready to make a comeback. In out testing it had the same problems as regular goblins against MWC and didn't move as quickly, leaving it with less than favorable results.

vs. Slide-Rift (R/W or 3-Color) (MWC wins 55%)
R/W and 3-Color Slide are basically playing the same game you are. The difference is you have an answer to all their win conditions. Awe Strike will save you from lethal damage, and Second Sunrise will stop the board-resetting Decree of Annihilation. Also in your favor are the inherent mana problems of a multi-color archetype., Overall you should be fine. Flashfires is also a problem here, but its reciprocal effect will make the R/W player more hesitant to use it. Don't be afraid to tap all your mana in response, cast Second Sunrise, tap it all again and then cycle Decree of Justice for the win.

vs. Mono-Red LD (MWC wins 65%)
Wow - I've been playing for ten years now and the one archetype that I was glad to see gone was Land Destruction. Unfortunately, with the addition of a good number of cost-effective LD spells in Eighth and Mirrodin means it's a force to be reckoned with. You do have a slight advantage, however, because usually this deck wins with Form of the Dragon or Searing Flesh. A well-timed Wipe Clean or Awe Strike should take care of that, and Solemn Simulacrum and Second Sunrise solves your other mana problems. Of course, with Eternal Dragon you shouldn't really have many.

vs. MBC (MWC wins 75%)
One word: Karma. That's right, the old standby black hoser is back. You can do whatever you want, Black Mage, because you're still looking at a lot of damage before your Consume Spirit resolves. We've experimented with running an Oblivion Stone of our own, but it just isn't worth it. Be careful not to overextend yourself early in case they can clear the board, and make sure you keep that Second Sunrise in hand when they do.

vs. U/b Control (MWC win 45%)
What? An unfavorable matchup? What is this deck you speak of? U/b Control is a build I was going to run at States here in Rhone Island, but I decided to go help judge MA States instead. If you're really nice, I may write an article about my blue control deck backed up by the wealth of adequate black discard. As far as the kill card, well... I'll let you know then.

James K. Searles II
me@jksearles.com