Christmas didn't come early this year for many Magic players. The DCI announced that there would be no changes to the Standard banned and restricted list, allowing Ravager Affinity to run rampant. Deck-builders everywhere are frantically scrambling to build an anti-Affinity deck that doesn't lose to the other decks out there. One of the first things to note about every non-Affinity deck is the sea of Green out there. Right now, there are four types of decks: Affinity, Tooth and Nail, G/X Control, Mono-X Control*.

Plug in any color and we see the decks exist. Blue? U/G control and Mono-Blue. Black? The Rock and MBC. Red? Freshmaker and Big Red. White is the only color that really doesn't fit this category, but I wouldn't be surprised if we start seeing some familiar G/W Prison builds; Mono-White may as well try for a traditional White Weenie build. This article attempts to understand why there is such a flood of Green in the current confusing metagame.

The "Green Allure" is the temptation to splash Green in a primarily mono-color build for two reasons: (1) Green has the best direct answers to Affinity's threats, and (2) Green has the speed necessary to combat other non-Affinity decks. The Green Allure affects deck-building to a great extent. While the play field may seem diverse, we have four archetypes with multiple builds.

Since Affinity is a menace we have to deal with for at least three more months, we need to go back to square one and look at what this Green allure and the dominance of Affinity means for Standard. This article offers some insight when building a Mono-X deck or a G/X control deck. If you are a Ravager Affinity or Tooth and Nail player, this article really won't provide any new insights to deck building. Both Affinity and Tooth have been honed to become fine machines which people lament as "net decks." Net deck or not, nobody can discount their play records and how well they function. Discussion Topics are scattered throughout the article to stimulate some creative thoughts and processes. I ask that you answer the discussion topics in the forums to stimulate some conversation.

Direct Answers to Affinity's Threats
Probably one of the biggest reasons for the Green Allure, Oxidize is an automatic three-of in any deck that runs Green. (The fourth one is usually found in the sideboard.) Oxidize is a fantastic one-casting cost card that trumps Welding Jar. Viridian Shaman also is strong contender in every G/X build. Aaron Forsythe wrote "on the heels of Mirrodin, Magic is now about artifacts. We wanted it that way. Shaking things up is good, and as the format changes, the nature of reactive cards changes as well."

What does this mean for deck building?
Mike Flores already gave us two words to call this phenomenon: Splash Damage. Artifact-based strategies are neutered by the presence of so much anti-artifact hate crowding the decks of standard. Any combo player that would want to run any of the many engines provided to us during Mirrodin Block (Spellweaver Helix, Staff of Domination, the Fifth Dawn Stations, etceteras) are out of luck.

An adequate response to the Splash Damage effect would be to remove all artifacts from decks that don't need them (read: non-Affinity Decks). This means taking Solemn Simulacrum of G/X Control builds. Solemn Simulacrum really does not belong in a control deck. The last time a control deck could get away with tapping out on turn 4 was when it could unmorph an Exalted Angel. That provided such a ridiculous "I win" condition that leaving yourself wide open for whatever your opponent could throw at you was worth taking the risk. Turn 4 could see you facing a Cranial Extraction while tapped out. Its also could be their turn five next, which with the power of land searchers, could have them plop down a Kokusho, the Evening Star or an entwined Tooth and Nail.

Since so many decks will be artifact-free, for every "reactive" anti-artifact spot in the main deck, a "reverse sideboard" strategy emerges. Since everyone has pre-boarded for Affinity in their maindeck, your sideboard spots should contain equal cards to your artifact hate that are good against any non-Affinity deck. Instead of siding out your reactive cards against Affinity for reactive cards against deck X, your sideboard needs proactive cards that function well against any deck in the gauntlet.

An example of this is in the sideboard of current U/G Control builds. Instead of reactive cards like Evacuation to combat Rude Awakening or Boseiju, Who Shelters All against control, there are proactive cards like Bribery. Bribery is a proactive card because it is good against any non-Affinity decks: Tooth and Nail has Darksteel Colossus; R/G Freshmaker has Kiki-Jiki; B/G Control or MBC has Kokusho, the Evening Star; Big Red has Arc-Slogger. Because of the Affinity battle taking up so many maindeck spots, sideboards have to be versatile against the whole field in order to be effective.

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Discussion Topic # 1:
Many decks are playing Green but Eighth Edition's color hosers against Green really don't anything. Hibernation, Slay, and Western Paladin are all ineffective, as Green isn't played for creatures that enter the red zone. The Mirrodin Block and Champions of Kamigawa also are notably absent of color hosers. What is theoretically the best reactive sideboard card against Green? Best proactive card?

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The only reactive cards in the sideboard should be set for more Affinity hate. A deck with a Green build can't gamble with a Choke; what will happen to the dead Viridian Shaman and Oxidize when they battle R/G Freshmaker? Instead, more proactive spells like Plow Under or Troll Ascetic belong in the sideboard.

Finally, while creature removal and artifact removal are still being "checked," enchantment removal has gone unchecked. The only commonly played ways to deal with a resolved enchantment are Naturalize, Echoing Truth, and Oblivion Stone. The first usually only sees play in the sideboard as the powerful combination of Oxidize and Viridian Shaman take up all the main deck artifact hate. The second is not a permanent way to deal with the problem, and the third seems to be getting less and less play as time goes on due to the presence of splash damage.

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Discussion Topic # 2
Due to the presence of splash damage, artifact cards that have combo potential have to sit in the sidelines. But, enchantment combo-engines seem ripe to be waiting to be exploited. What forgotten enchantment has the best combo-potential and is waiting desperately for someone to exploit?
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Speed Necessary to Combat Affinity
Everyone is trying to outrace Affinity and Green provides an optimal build to get the lands in order to do that. Champions of Kamigawa featured two cards that have increased the Green allure dramatically: Sakura-Tribe Elder and Kodama's Reach. The ever-loved Birds of Paradise also falls into this category. At their disposal is the wonderful Green Mana-Fixing Curve:

One-Drop: Birds of Paradise
Two-Drop: Sakura-Tribe Elder
Three-Drop: Kodama's Reach
Four-Drop: Solemn Simulacrum

Most decks that have Green in them don't run all four, but four-of's of two different drops. Sakura-Tribe Elder is the most popular; Kodama's Reach probably being the least popular.

What does this mean for deck building?

Slow traffic, keep right. Every deck must be speedy enough with their mana base to deal with Affinity and the G/X builds. Is this the traditional tempo-based speed? I don't think so, but I'll leave that up to the theorists to debate**. This seems more of a "mana speed"; if your deck can't produce five or six mana on turn four, you will be outraced by a deck that can. This means that every mono-X player winds up having to play some part of the not-so-great Artifact Mana-Fixing Curve:

"Non Drop": Chrome Mox
One Drop: Wayfarer's Bauble
Two Drop: Talisman / Guardian Idol
Four Drop: Solemn Simulacrum

Like the Green Mana-Fixing Curve, most decks only run the maximum amount of two different drops. So here is the paradox all non mono-Green decks face: in order to outrace Affinity and Green Decks, you have to play cards that fall victim to Splash Damage. Big Red also gets the non-permanent accelerator Seething Song to try to power out a turn 3 Arc Slogger. This not only illustrates the Green allure, but seems like a self-perpetuating cycle. As G/X decks increase in popularity, Mono-X decks will start having to add Green to overcome the problem of splash damage, turning them into G/X decks in the process.

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Discussion Topic # 3
You want to play a non-Green, mono-colored deck. What is the best option: losing consistency and adding Green to get the better Green Mana-Fixing Curve or risking the splash damage and running the Artifact Mana-Fixing Curve?
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Eternal Witness, Plow Under, and Rude Awakening
Not to be ignored, these three powerful Green cards see play in almost every G/X control deck. Eternal Witness is a Swiss army knife, fetching your most versatile spells and providing a solid body. Plow Under disrupts most decks out there, most notably the much maligned Tooth and Nail. Finally, Rude Awakening reads "I win" in most situations.

The problem is that these three cards do not have many proactive solutions out there. Eternal Witness can be dealt with via Scrabbling Claws, but how will the Claws help you in a matchup where you need to sideboard out your artifact removal? I have no direct "solutions" to these three cards except to be aware during your deck building that they exist and how your deck will play around them.

A Quick Summary of Lessons Learned for Deck-Building
Remember that these rules do not apply to Affinity or Tooth and Nail. Any new decks in Standard would benefit by playing by these rules:

1.) The deck cannot afford to run artifacts.

2.) The sideboard needs to contain proactive slots to replace your reactive cards.

3.) Enchantment removal is currently at a minimum.

4.) To race other decks in the field, the deck must run some part of either the Green Mana-Fixing Curve or the Artifact-Mana Fixing Curve.

5.) Be aware of the Green three: Eternal Witness, Plow Under, and Rude Awakening.

Breaking Away from the Green Allure
I've outlined the Green allure and my opinion of why we're seeing so many G/X control decks out there, but I fear my case is a tautology. Are more decks running Green because more decks are running Green? Whether or not you agree with my reasoning (or my loose "rules") I hope I have at least stimulated discussion on the current state of Standard.

Send any comments, questions, or criticisms to frogboy at berkeley dot edu. Please post any answers to discussion questions in the forum.

Sean Costales
AIM: Arnnaria
MODO Screenname: Arnnaria

* While Tooth and Nail is primarily mono-Green, it isn't a control deck, so it does not fall under the category of Mono-X Control.

** I would consider the race against Ravager Affinity more of a race of tempo.