For some reason, it seemed like the natural follow-up to last week's look at R/G Beatdown should be its counterpart and only real equal among Beats decks: U/G Madness. One of the long-standing Tier 1 decks, U/G has extended its influence into other formats, while continuing to enjoy much success in Standard. Despite the dearth of anything from Legions worth adding to the recipe, U/G stands to make a very strong showing at Regionals, both in numbers and collective records.

The Most Common Builds
This is a sample of the most recent U/G builds:

4x Basking Rootwalla
4x Merfolk Looter
4x Wild Mongrel
3x Wonder
4x Arrogant Wurm

4x Careful Study
2x Quiet Speculation
1x Ray of Revelation
4x Circular Logic
4x Deep Analysis
3x Roar of the Wurm

11x Forest
12x Island

Sideboard:
4x Aether Burst
3x Compost
4x Naturalize
2x Phantom Centaur
2x Upheaval

Magic Workstation calculated the Average Casting Cost at 3.00, but that includes full casting costs for all the madness spells, Wonder, Roar of the Wurm, and so on. I chalked it up myself and got an incredible 1.79, which sounds closer to the truth. The well-spread variety of casting costs makes for a very stable curve, as you could make any number of different plays within the first several important turns.

Several of the different versions run two to three Aquamoebas as an extra madness outlet, and a few run four Wonders. Not everybody maindecks the Ray of Revelation, but several people make sure to have it in the sideboard, occasionally along with a Plains. Sometimes you'll even see Moment's Peace maindeck - if I decided to play U/G, one copy would definitely make the cut.

Ken Ho's Masters deck was geared toward Psychatog specifically, but some odd card choices nonetheless. He appears to have incorporated elements of U/G Threshold, such as the Werebears, and that's where the Standstills came from as well. The first thing that strikes me as being different is the removal of two copies of Arrogant Wurm, and next is the total lack of Deep Analysis. Apparently Standstill served the purpose, though; against Tog, which rarely has any permanents, he would always have superior board position from which to cast Standstill, and it doesn't require life payments or as much mana.

That's a metagame choice, and it paid off; however, I wouldn't recommend running Standstill over Deep Analysis for Regionals, simply because 'Tog will not make up the same percentage of the field that it did at the Masters. Since you really have to have superior board position before you cast it, chances are, you probably won't always be in a position from which to fully benefit from Standstill.

Before I move on to the strengths and weaknesses of the deck as a whole, I'd like to look at the pros and cons of some of the many varying card choices you have in constructing U/G.

Merfolk Looter:
Despite the Looter having been a staple in the deck since the outset, more and more U/G players are straying away from it - although for what reasons, I'm not exactly sure. It's moved out to make room for more aggression, possibly; there are other creatures like Aquamoeba that still provide madness outlets, and can actually deal damage worth attacking for. But the Looter provides something that none of the others do: A card to replace the one you're discarding. In the long run, this can prove to be invaluable.

There have been too many instances for me to count when I've dropped a particularly game-breaking spell, and the opponent has Looted, only to top-deck a Circular Logic. The added bonus that the Looter provides, a way to mill through your library, doesn't seem too easily replaceable - especially when the replacement is another attacker coming into a deck already packed full of the best undercosted, oversized attackers in the format. Maybe pulling the Looters is a metagame choice, like Standstill versus Deep Analysis; still, it would have to be a hell of a weird metagame for me to drop a creature as singularly important to the deck's performance as Merfolk Looter.

Quiet Speculation:
One of the most underrated search spells in the recent history of the game. It's not absolutely to vital to the functionality of the deck, otherwise there would be at least one more copy in my decklist above; but, with the wide array of flashback spells U/G runs, including some single-copy utility, Spec basically reads:"1U: Go through your library and choose any three cards, then put those cards in your hand." Of course, they're not technically considered 'in-hand', but as far as play options go, yours were just increased by three cards. Again referencing Jun-Wei's resource point value system, that's absolutely insane - and all for two mana. And people complain about the lack of good tutors in Standard; maybe they're just not using enough flashback (which is, coincidentally, card advantage in and of itself).

(Withered Wretch, Withered Wretch, Withered Wretch - The Ferrett, noting that it destroys Speculation-based decks but unwilling to lay bets as to how prevalent it'll be... Still, I wouldn't base a Regionals deck, which has to face a diverse field, that gets destroyed by one card)

Ray of Revelation/Moment's Peace:
Most peoples' beef with maindecking one of each of the two is that they don't want the dead draw. Quiet Speculation - problem solved. If you need the silver bullet, it's right there. If not, they're both out of the way for two mana, with a waiting Roar of the Wurm to boot. You might consider giving them a shot, you'll end up using them far more than you thought you would.

Aquamoeba:
Having played against U/G far more than I've piloted it, I can't honestly vouch for any of the 'Moeba's good points. All my experiences with them have involved killing them as they sit on the table across from me, so this will be a very one-sided argument.

Yes, it's a madness outlet that can swing for three, but other than that, it has all the Merfolk Looter's bad qualities, and none of its good ones. When it does attack for three, it's just as killable as the Looter, and if somebody Shocks it (or cycles Slice and Dice, or aims a Lava Dart/Grim Lavamancer at it, and so on) in response to you discarding the first card, you can't re-switch its power/toughness in response. It can still be Smothered, Starstormed, Wrath of Godded, Chainer's Edicted, and killed by pretty much any other random form of removal in the format. And it doesn't replace the cards you feed it. All in all, I'd prefer to stick with the Looters.

Strengths
Where to begin?

U/G is probably the only beatdown deck I've ever seen that can play out fifteen turns without missing a beat, maintain constant pressure, quickly recover from mass removal, play a constant stream of creatures - and still have a hand to show for it. It's also the only deck in Standard that can attack with a 6/6 flyer on turn 5. That, I think I would probably call a strength.

Seriously, what can't it do? Given a few turns, it can draw itself out of land-screw, and still build up fast enough to salvage some decent board position. It can create three 6/6 flyers consecutively starting on the fourth turn, it can smash anything that can't kill or equal a creature a turn for at least twelve turns, it can outrun almost any control deck out there - and it has counterspells.

I still find this amazing. Countering power is not something a beatdown deck needs. It's like someone took an old Green Stompy deck and gave it a few single-blue Counterspells and a way to keep drawing the big guys. And then made the big guys cheaper. And then made some not-so-big guys that still hit hard to hold the fort until the big guys arrive. Sickening.

U/G can stay in a game until it draws out. It can continue to produce creatures, keep a good-sized hand, and generally go about its business with absolutely no loss of momentum - until it runs out of library. This, combined with the fact that its army consists of cheap, solid, fairly large creatures - undoubtedly most of the best creatures in Type 2 - makes U/G one of the most dangerous decks in the format.

Weaknesses
Well, umm... Blue and green isn't the most appealing color scheme...red and black looks cooler, so *ptthhh*

Almost all of its creatures can be Smothered. But, incidentally, it has more than four creatures - a lot more. So you can't really count on that.

If this could be considered a weakness, it only has one win condition - it has to attack. If it wasn't for the countering power and access to enchantment destruction, this could make it easy prey for Astroglide. If you don't control any creatures, and your opponent can find a way to empty your hand, you're dead in the water - until you find a Deep Analysis (or just flashback one that's already in the graveyard), which usually doesn't take very long. Once you have a few cards in hand, you can start the whole Looter/Careful Study/Analysis thing, and get to the cards you need very, very quickly.

Okay, there aren't really any chinks in the armor worth mentioning. I'm sure there might be one or two, but they seem to have slipped my mind.

Matchups
U/G doesn't necessarily have super-favorable matchups against everything out there, but it really doesn't have anything horrible. If you can play it well, you shouldn't have too much trouble beating anything.

Psychatog:
Against U/G, 'Tog plays like MBC with Islands. Just treat it as such, and there shouldn't be any problem, unless you let them get to nine mana. Be aggressive, force them to make choices they don't want to have to make - having to block with the Psychatog and then pitch to keep it alive, having to throw away valuable Counterspells on otherwise trivial spells that would put your board position out of hand, things like that. With a good quick start, it's no big thing to keep them off-balance.

Even if they do get to nine mana and resolve an Upheaval, you have something that 'Tog hates: Basking Rootwalla. It might not seem like much, but it buys you an extra turn. And an extra turn means an extra land, which means Wild Mongrel, which buys you another turn - you get the point. U/G is one of the few decks that actually stands a very slim chance of surviving the Psychatog 'Heave.

Obviously, you sideboard in the Composts here. Other than that, it really depends on what your sideboard looks like. U/G probably has one of the most open and variable sideboards of any Standard deck, so instead of suggesting what to bring in and out as if you already have it in the 'board, I'll just suggest a few cards that would fit the bill, and let you decide on the final product from there.

Having not followed the Masters too closely, I'm not sure what Ken Ho's technique was, but I have a feeling it didn't involve much at all. This isn't an overly difficult win to begin with, and if you bog down your maindeck with cards from the sideboard, you might start to lose the synergistic zip that makes the deck a good match for 'Tog in the first place. If you find something that fits, that's all well and good, but don't overdo it.

Of course, this goes for sideboarding against any specific deck, even those you have trouble with. Don't devote too many slots to anti-X deck cards, because there's not too much that wants to come out of the maindeck. Remember, at the speed that U/G flips through the deck, having two copies of a card in your deck almost guarantees that you'll see it - you don't always need four of everything. Two Upheaval can be a Godsend in the right situations - 'Tog hates Upheaval when they're not the ones casting it. Phantom Centaur can also help in those situations where you really want to force some damage through, since the only blockers they usually have are Psychatogs. Just remember to watch for Chainer's Edict.

Astroglide:
Simply because of the fact that U/G is a creature-based deck, Astroglide has the upper hand here. Taking it away from them isn't as complicated as most people might think, though; it's only a matter of playing smart, knowing what to hold the Circular Logics for, when to go all out with creatures, and things like that.

If you plan on taking U/G to Regionals, playtest this match a lot - probably more than any other matchup. It's winnable, if you get a huge amount of experience dealing with it under your belt before the Show. Playtesting is the only way to prepare yourself for situations that you couldn't possibly predict, but will occur regardless. They will come up in testing, and when the day comes, you will know what to do.

Here's what I've found to be a good basic strategy: Come out as quickly as you can, keeping a constant two to three creatures on the table. The rest, just hold in your hand; two or three is often more than enough to draw out mass removal, and it doesn't leave you wide open for disaster when a board-clearing spell like Wrath of God hits. Always leave one blue open for a Logic, and try to counter every Slide they play. Lightning Rift really doesn't concern you, it usually can't reliably take out the creatures that will win you the game - namely, Roar of the Wurm tokens.

Astral Slide, however, can wreck you.

As soon as you see a Quiet Speculation, get two Roars and the Ray in the 'yard. You have as many Logics as they have Slides, and you mill through your deck just as fast, meaning you'll find counters faster than they'll find Slides - but it's always nice to have a little insurance, just in case they slip one under the radar.

For Game Two, it's nice to have Naturalize in the sideboard so you can save your Logics for things like Wrath of God. This allows you to make your play style more aggressive, because you can play out more creatures without the fear of losing them all in one fell swoop. True, Slice and Dice can't be countered when it's cycled, but that effect doesn't kill off any of your main strike force - just the little guys that can be replaced.

As for what to take out, the Roar of the Wurms usually don't last too long once your concentration isn't fully on Astral Slide, so those would be my first choice to take the bench. Other than that, nothing is really weak against Astroglide, but it's okay because all you really need to bring in is Naturalize anyway. If you run Upheaval in the 'board, though, bring those in as well to disrupt the mid-game, which is usually when Slide makes a strong push for the win.

R/G Beatdown:
This match is basically dead even in Game One, and might tip slightly in their favor after sideboarding. I would recommend bringing in Naturalize for Game Two, because they will more than likely bring in Ensnaring Bridges to stop your Wurm tokens. Letting them resolve a Bridge, building up a few tokens, then pulling a surprise Naturalize and attacking for thirty can really ruin somebody's day.

There isn't really any tech to share here; as I mentioned in last week's R/G article, it will usually come down to paying attention and playing a solid game. Having a Wonder where you need it can really go a long way, but they can generally hit you pretty hard before your army takes to the skies, leaving you within burn range. I might recommend a fourth Roar in the sideboard for this matchup, if you have the room. Phantom Centaur can cause problems as well, in addition to being stellar in several other matchups.

U/G Madness:
You can safely expect quite a few mirror matches over the course of the day, and since you already know what the deck's strengths are, it's fairly simple to play around them. There really isn't anything relevant to share here, as far as Game One strategy. For Games Two and Three, it's nice to have an extra Wonder waiting in the board to get your team flying before theirs, and a Krosan Reclamation or three to ground their army in the event that an alpha strike will deliver the game.

Mono-Black Control:
Most control decks, even those as powerful as MBC, really have nothing on U/G; they simply can't keep up with a deck that doesn't run out of gas. Just like with Astroglide, keep a steady stream of creatures rolling onto the table, but no more than two or three at once, maybe four.

If you see them play a Mirari in Game One, Naturalize is a big help in Game Two, meaning they'll have to Corrupt you several times to win that way. However, the Corrupt targets will often be your Roar tokens, as they'll generally use every Smother they find on the early creatures. As long as you always keep a Rootwalla in your hand (or in play, if you don't have a Mongrel or Looter) for any stray Edicts, you shouldn't have too much trouble pulling out a win. If you decide to run the Phantom Centaurs, then of course, those come in as well.

(Withered Wretch - hello? - The Ferrett, pointing out the card that everyone will sideboard against you, and it will destroy you if you're running the Spec version)

Beasts:
This matchup is a little trickier. While it doesn't give U/G the same nightmares it does R/G, the simple fact that U/G is not a control deck means it will be a tough match. The key to pulling this one out is keeping constant pressure, which has already been established as one of U/G's stronger points.

Go all out with your creatures, and don't worry about Wrath of God. It's actually a good thing for them to cast it, for two reasons: One, it means they realize that you clearly have control of the board, and Wrath is their only out. Two, another point that's been determined as something U/G is good at, you can bounce back from them clearing the board much more quickly than they can, and once they know you have control and reset, you should have no trouble regaining control of an empty field. The amount of mana you have by that time will allow you to immediately drop all at once any threats you draw into, and they simply won't be able to keep up.

If you run Aether Bursts in your sideboard, or even maindeck as some people do, you really don't need them in Game Two. Glory means that your targeted spells will always be dead draws; I've noticed that W/G players are very good at leaving 2W open for such situations. The only creature they have that could come close to being better that yours is Exalted Angel, and your tokens are still bigger. Therefore, Aether Burst, even in the event that it goes off as planned, is rather unnecessary.

Sligh:
The key to this matchup is an early Wild Mongrel/Arrogant Wurm draw. Even if the two of them die - which they usually will, and that's okay - they take Sligh's best creatures (Goblin Piledriver and friends) with them, and if their early creatures don't stick around long enough to do their dirty work to the extent that it needs to be done, it's lights-out for Sligh in about five turns. The Mongrel/Wurm draw means that you survive their early rush, and once you've done that, you're okay.

The simple fact of the matter is, U/G can outlast Sligh. Even despite the lack of spot removal, you definitely have what it takes to simply wait out the storm and bring the beats once the coast is clear. Their early creatures can be devastating, with the 9/2 Piledrivers and the Blistering Firecats, but after the initial rush is over (which you should survive at least 75% of the time), it's smooth sailing.

Like some of the other matchups, there's really no tech to share here. Play creatures with abandon, as Sligh very rarely packs anything along the lines of Starstorm, then wait it out, hold some blockers back to keep you above water, and start swinging for the fences around turn six. This match is about 80-20 in favor of U/G, at least as far as the traditional Piledriver builds go.

Sligh gets a little love from the sideboard, usually in the form of Ensnaring Bridge, but it's still heavily tilted in your favor. Just watch out for Threaten; I've been seeing people maindeck two or three copies more and more recently, and that card definitely has the potential to swing the game in their favor if they catch you off-guard.

Naturalize is a shoo-in from the 'board if you expect to see the Bridges, and speaking from experience, Phantom Centaur gives this type of deck nightmares. They can't be burned, and they block forever; one of the biggest general nuisances a Sligh or R/G Beats deck can run into.

Opposition:
This matchup can get sticky real fast. Except for the versions that splash black, they have no removal, and even if you do see the Smothers start to fly, that's basically the extent of it. What this means is that you stand a good chance of being able to speedily produce more creatures than they'll be able to handle when the hated enchantment hits the table. Their deck, for the first four or five turns, is basically a slower, control-oriented version of yours. Outrace them, give them more to deal with than they can handle, and you'll slowly continue to keep chipping away at their life total even after you're halfway-locked.

One important point in your favor is the fact that even if they can lock down all your important attackers, tapping down your land as well is generally out of the question. While playing R/G Beats, this has caused me serious problems in the past, as they can not only lock down my army once the Squirrel Nest gets going, but whichever color of mana I'm lighter on, as well. Not only is this absolutely frustrating to no end, but it prevents the backup forces from gracing the table with their presence and possibly breaking me out of the lock. Against U/G, the speed with which it can multiply its forces (all game long) makes it extremely difficult to hold an Opposition lock against it for any length of time.

As for the sideboard, the safest players will be those who still practice the long-forgotten art of boarding two or three copies of Spellbane Centaur. Not only are they a lifesaver against SquirrelOpp, but they're nice to have around in the event of a mirror with the other guy running Aether Burst. It doesn't seem like much, but having a key Roar token bounced can be a major pain in the ass. Naturalize is a no-brainer, as without their main crutch on the table, they're pretty much playing a slow, weak version of your deck.

This is one of the matchups where Upheaval really earns its keep, as if they do manage to lock you down, or even if they're just building up too much of a force, you have a reset button that favors you as the quicker recovery afterwards. And since a good portion of their Oppo-fuel generally consists of Squirrel tokens, it takes them a good long while to re-establish a lock after a 'Heave - plenty of time for you to finish the job.

So, given what we know about the matchups, if I were to take U/G to Regionals, my sideboard would look something like this:

2x Upheaval
3x Phantom Centaur
3x Naturalize
1x Wonder
1x Roar of the Wurm
2x Krosan Reclamation
3x Compost

There's a little something for everybody, just enough to tip the scales a little further in your favor than they already are. Of course, this is by no means a Kai-style, definitive,"everyone-will-be-playing-this-because-I-said-so" prediction; this is just an example to help you make sure you're defending yourself against the right opponents when you build your sideboard. If you expect a lot more (or less) of any certain deck, by all means, adjust the sideboard accordingly.

All in all, I fully expect U/G to be the winningest deck in the field at the vast majority of Regional tournaments. It's easy to put together in terms of necessary cards, more customizable than any other deck in its performance class, not difficult to grasp quickly, and able to bounce back from almost any situation. Sounds like a good candidate for Most Wins to me!

Completely Unrelated Part of the Article
With that being basically it for the U/G Regionals Rundown, I have a confession to make. I was wrong. I stand corrected in my previous assumption that R/U is weaker in O-O-L; in fact, it seems stronger than before, if you were previously able to build decent R/U with no Mistform Walls or Lavamancer's Skills. In that respect - basing the deck on those two cards - I still believe I was right. On the whole, though, R/U is still immensely powerful. This is what I ended up with last week:

Goblin Sledder
Macetail Hystrodon
Slipstream Eel
Unstable Hulk
Mistform Wakecaster
Ascending Aven x2
Avarax
Thoughtbound Primoc
Mistform Wall
Echo Tracer
Keeneye Aven
Mistform Seaswift
Crested Craghorn
Goblin Grappler

Shock
Pinpoint Avalanche
Starstorm
Searing Flesh
Trade Secrets
Slate of Ancestry
Wave of Indifference

Lonely Sandbar
Forgotten Cave
7x Island
9x Mountain

Before you scoff at the questionable choices, let me tell you, they all performed absolutely incredibly. Yes, the Trade Secrets refilled my opponent's hand as well - but every time I cast it, I won the following turn. The lone Avarax proved that it doesn't need to use its search ability to be good, and often started swinging as a 5/3 or 6/3. Without haste, I doubt I would even use it, but the simple surprise value easily makes it worthwhile.

Unstable Hulk, like Trade Secrets, was an"on-the-verge-of-winning-but-still-not-quite-there" card, and its performance was amazing when used that way, ending games a full two turns earlier than I would have been able to otherwise. Searing Flesh won something like five games, and the Goblin Grappler (usually combined with the Sledder) definitely earned its place. I only sided out the Thoughtbound Primoc once, against - of course - a W/U deck with several wizards. A Hunter Sliver came in for the Primoc, and my illusions took down opposing creatures with amazing efficiency.

I ended up taking second in the draft, losing in the finals to a very good drafter named Egan, for two reasons: one, I didn't see a single blue source in Game Two, after taking Game One; and two, his R/G Beasts deck was absolutely unbelievable, to the point of being more insanely ridiculous than anything I've seen in a long, long time. During Round 1, I saw something I have never before seen - a 9/8 Krosan Vorine...with another one right next to it. R/G just shouldn't be able to do some of the things that deck did. If I hadn't been holding a Shock for the Wirewood Savage in Game One, he would have mopped me up in short order. But - insane Beast decks aside - my deck, which mostly built itself and dragged me along behind, definitely had the power I thought it would now be lacking. It easily overcame everything else, with answers to spare at the end of the game.

So I stand corrected; R/U can still function just fine in Limited, no question.

And as for the Browbeat discussion - I like it, and no one can convince me otherwise. Ha.

Jared Gardner
LokiStrife@aol.com