Here we go!
Return to Ravnica is now officially Standard legal. No more Phyrexian mana, obnoxious cantrips
and poison! Boy, I’m happy to see
rotation this time around. Innistrad and
RTR together should provide a bunch of opportunities for interesting
interactions. RTR looks like a stronger
Constructed set in general, though, so don’t be surprised when mulit-colored
brews dominate the tribal-themed stacks of Innistrad goodness.
I’m writing this post after the first sizeable tournament of
RTR Standard, the Star City Games Cincinnati Open, but what I’m going to TALK about is the Friday before. Standard was untested, new…green. Although people speculated about Zombies
still being a thing (they are) and the idea of salvaging Delver post-Ponder
(you can’t), the field was wide open for all new decks to fill the ranks.
Our story began last week; as I sorted the cards I’d gleaned
from the Prerelease, I was poring over what I had and what I could actually make for my first Standard outing on
Friday, October 5. As I’m not one of those people who pre-orders
my cards or buys boxes at a time, I have to work with what I’m given.
More so than usual, RTR cards were hard to come by before
the release. At the Prerelease and the
couple days after, the RTR cards you’d need were hard to come by, and even some
commons couldn’t be found. This left me
in a bit of a bind for some of the prospective decks I was courting.
Before RTR officially released, I’d studied the spoiler and
crafted sixteen deck shells that I could make depending on the stuff I pulled
in the Prerelease and any subsequent packs/trades. Basically every color combination was
accounted for, but each had the common theme of aggro. Well, except for one…
As soon as this guy was spoiled, I saw the potential, as I’m
sure most people did. A Grey Ogre that
Shocks your opponent any time you, well, you Shock your opponent! Chopping off a tenth of your opponent’s life
total at a whack while providing a mildly relevant body in a supported creature
type seems fairly decent. I already had
three of those, so why not?
With Guttersnipe as the engine, I needed gas. Good efficient burn seemed nice, and another
spoiled Goblin seemed to interact well with him.
Before long, the deck was scribbled out, and I was dying to
try it out.
On Friday, I had glanced through my binders and pulled
everything I had that I’d need, and Kevin Klotz, who I’d been texting with that
day, was at the shop early and bartered the rest of the deck for me for my
Angel of Glory’s Rise. With that, it was
settled. I finalized the decklist and looked over it. It was a simple and
exciting gameplan. Chancy, swingy, and
exciting. Here’s the list I came up
with.
Experimental Expendables
Creatures (12)
4 Goblin Electromancer
4 Guttersnipe
4 Snapcaster Mage
Spells (25)
4 Izzet Charm
4 Syncopate
4 Krenko’s Command
3 Brimstone Volley
3 Thunderous Wrath
3 Think Twice
2 Bonfire of the Damned
1 Burn at the Stake
1 Epic Experiment
Lands (23)
4 Steam Vents
4 Sulfur
Falls
3 Izzet Guildgate
6 Island
5 Mountain
1 Desolate Lighthouse
Sideboard (15)
4 Delver of Secrets
4 Pillar of Flame
2 Annihilating Fire
2 Chandra, the Firebrand
2 Talrand, Sky Summoner
1 Hypersonic Dragon
Deck Tech – Creatures
Goblin Electromancer, Guttersnipe and Tiago Chan
With 25 spells that trigger the Guttersnipe, his role is
clear in the deck, but the Electromancer actually plays a very special, subtler
role. Reducing instant and sorcery costs
by one helps you cast things more easily and sooner, sure, but it does
something else important; it gives X an extra point of value. With an Electromancer out, Syncopate becomes
Force Spike, Thunderous Wrath is an instant, more flexible Lava Axe, and it
slims Bonfire to hard-castable levels.
My ace-in-the-hole, Epic Experiment, also loves this card, giving it
more reach in targets and in depth of digging.
The Snapcasters seemed nice with counters and burn and he’s also nice as
an extra, instant body.
Spells
Burn Suite
These are fairly straightforward, but they interact well
with the deck. Miracle-ing is likely
with instant draw power, and each spell benefits from the Electromancer’s
reduction. Brimstone Volley and
Thunderous Wrath become very attractive when their cost is reduced just a
little bit, and the Bonfire also benefits from the reduction. Also, in a squad of little guys, powerful
burn can help protect your fragile board state or soften up the opponent so you
can smash through. In a pinch it can
provide the last ounce of ouch, too.
Nothing much to say here – this is how you’ll kill ‘em.
Syncopate
 |
| Used for |
This is a nice reprint; Mana Leak’s rotation leaves a huge
hole in blue decks everywhere, and Syncopate, although not as intrinsically
good, makes up for it in increased flexibility.
Syncopate has the flexibility to stop a turn 2 drop and a turn 11 drop. Using Syncopate effectively is a bit of a
science, but careful calculation is what makes blue, blue. Reducing the X is especially relevant in this
deck. Syncopate is admittedly weak
against control matchups, as they’ll always seem to have that counterspell
ready when you tap out into a high X count with yours. Regardless, it's a nice standby to have when you’re
fully untapped, and he seemed like the right card for this job when you’ve just
gotta stop it.
Izzet Charm
 |
| Electrostatically delicious! |
Arguably one of the better Charms for the colors it’s in,
Izzet Charm gives you tons of options, and the situation in which they’ll be
appropriate is usually apparent, making it a low learning-curve Charm. Having him makes you feel very safe, as you
can kill a Rancor-aimed target, counter that crucial Planeswalker, or find that
win condition or answer a little more easily.
It’s a great Snapcaster target, too, but the Mana starts to get pretty
intense, so keep that in mind. This is
never a dead card, and I’m happy to play a whole set for their utility and
versatility.
Krenko’s Command
 |
| Actual "goons." |
Think Twice
 |
| I say "Think Thrice" when I cast it and flashback right away. |
I've always loved this card, and I've found it is highly
synergetic with this deck. It becomes,
effectively, an instant Divination with the Electromancer out and a fifth of
their health with a Guttersnipe. It also
could trigger Miracles and provide something to do when they don’t play into my
Syncopate or Izzet Charm. There are a
lot of decks where Think Twice is just filler, but I love it here.
Burn at the Stake
 |
| "Oh, look, it's the Hunchback of Notre Dead!" |
This little number from Avacyn Restored has me intrigued. In a deck with a bunch of little guys, this
seems like an awesome alternate win condition.
The Krenko’s Commands provide the ammunition, and the other Goblins
either reduce its cost or let it hit a little harder. A finisher for five mana, this can completely
catch your opponent off guard and just steal wins. Turn 2 Electromancer, turn 3 double (or triple, if we're being greedy) Krenko's Command,
and a turn 4 Burn at the Stake will hit them for...21?. Even with a playset of Commands, I still
think this is just a singleton; it’s still pretty risky, and it’s kind of a
rotten topdeck unless you’re in a locked board.
Still, I just need it to hit once.
Epic Experiment
 |
| "Explosions! MORE EXPLOSIONS!" - Mekgineer Thermaplugg |
The impetus of the deck, this solitary X spell is also like
Burn at the Stake; if you’ve planned for it and you successfully resolve it,
you will win. X should be at least 6,
and any Electromancers and/or Guttersnipes you have out make this thing all the
sicker. Remember, you cast each of these, so Guttersnipe will
trigger for each cast spell. 23 lands
and four reduction permanents should let you get this off fairly reliably, so
once you find that copy, get ready to flip.
Lands
Although it is strange for Islands
to impose over mountains, I rely more on having Islands
open than Mountains when it comes to preserving the game state. Also, my sideboard is fairly heavy blue, and
so to avoid the awkwardness of putting land in my sideboard (I’ve done it
before,) I’ll start it off right.
Sideboard
The sideboard has changed drastically with the deck’s
original plan; originally, it was full of Goblin-matters cards; Arms Dealers,
Krenko, Mob Bosses, and a couple extra copies of Burn at the Stake. Since then, though, I’ve shifted to a more
spell-friendly sideboard. Delver of
Secrets was a last minute decision.
Boarding into Delver is vastly underrated, and there are some matches
(perhaps even EVERY match) where having a good chance of opening with Delver
will win you the game. Red decks suffer
from not having persistent threats. Sure
I can burn you, but any life gain completely nullifies my cards. Creatures plug away turn after turn, so life
gain isn’t a permanent solution. Delver
provided that imminent threat I need to give my deck some extra teeth in a
match where I had to hurry. Pillar of
Flame and Annihilating Fire are both my safety nets against Zombies, the
predicted deck-to-beat in the new Standard.
Zombies in every color give me the creeps, so packing these is good
insurance; plus, they provide additional targets in case of a slightly anemic
Epic Experiment.
Chandra, the Firebrand has come to be one of my favorite
planeswalkers, providing infinite possibilities with her -2 and giving a
steady concern with her +1 and -6 at the ready.
A good option for grindy control matchups, she works very well in
conjunction with any of my over-the-top spells like Burn at the Stake, Epic
Experiment, or even just a take-half-your-life Brimstone Volley. No red spell-based deck should be without
her. Talrand was very good in the Delver
mirror and would be a great option against control or non-sweeper decks. Although missing his “free” spells now, he
still seems perfectly reasonable here.
The singleton Hypersonic Dragon is in here as a bit of a lark. Sure, he’s a relevant hasty threat that can
put away the game in a turn or two, but I also couldn’t shake the idea of
casting an Epic Experiment in response to my opponent’s game-winner. One day, maybe.
Tournament Report
After Kevin kindly brokered the trade I needed, I playtested
the deck furiously, securing the Steam Vents I’d need to sleeve up the deck
completely. Kevin and I playtested
several matches’ worth of games, and the deck was a bit shaky. The highlight was resolving an X=6 Epic
Experiment and hitting 5 burn spells with a Guttersnipe out when I would have
otherwise been dead next turn. I was
eager to try it against all kinds of decks.
This deck, except for the Noxious Revival synergy, was very much like my
somewhat successful MiRUcle deck from a few months ago. Perhaps it’d see the same success again.
Round 1 – Ryan (B/G Control)
The game room was packed with about thirty eager players
ready to test their decks in the new environment. The excitement was palpable, and it tasted
pretty good.
I sat down across from Ryan, one of Something2Do’s faithful
employees and long-time fixtures. An exceedingly
polite, professional but easy-going guy, he expressed that he had the urge to
play in an event and he looked forward to trying his newly minted stack. With his bright pink sleeves undoubtedly sheathing
a subtle threat, we started up. During
game one, I went kinda nuts on the miracles, hitting back to back Thunderous
Wraths. My board developed slowly, but
his was glacial compared to mine.
Resolving a Thragtusk still couldn’t save him, and I was able to
overwhelm him with burn and some piddly creatures the following turn. In game two, he got a much more impressive
start, Abrutply Decaying my relevant threats while resolving a Vraska safely on
his side. My sideboarded Pillars of
Flame looked pretty silly in my hand, and it wasn’t long before a Vampire
Nighthawk and Thraggy were breathing down my neck. Game three saw Ryan mull to 5, and he never
really got off the ground as Delver plugged him again and again. Counters kept me safe, and I sailed over with
the Insect for the win.
1-0
I was amazed to beat Ryan, but grateful I had survived my
first RTR match. I had gotten fairly
lucky hands and Ryan was a bit unlucky, but that’s the nature of the game.
Round 2 - Josh? (Five-Color Séance)
To be honest, I do not remember my opponent’s name for this
match, not even a little. It was a bit
of a blur, so I’m just not recalling what his name was. I’m sorry, “Josh,” if you read this.
My opponent was significantly younger than me, perhaps a
high-schooler. Something2Do does
attract a slightly younger crowd of Magic players than BluegrassMagic, but most
of the time I didn’t end up playing against them. Not today!
As we set up for game 1, I got a fairly sluggish start with
a Krenko’s Command and not much else. He
didn’t seem to be doing much either – Faithless Looting and some discarded big
fellows. Perhaps it was a reanimator
deck…
On turn four, he resolved a Séance, and I realized his plan
all too late. He exiled value creatures and
gained tons of board advantage, and a Craterhoof Behemoth in the yard came back
in as a copy and rumbled his team across for an initimidating amount. In game two, I made a mistake by developing
my board and not protecting against Séance, which he safely cast. Once it was on the table, I could do very
little to interact with either it or the graveyard. On my turn, he sat at 13 and I had two
Electromancers and some Krenko tokens, and he had reanimated a Geist-Honored
Monk on my upkeep. I swung with everything,
staring at three Brimstone Volleys in hand.
As he dipped to ten, I Brimstone Volleyed him once, then I could not
resolve the other two through back-to-back Syncopates. His Craterhoof would reanimate on his turn,
so I scooped it up.
1-1
That was a tough loss, as I just had very little way to
interact with the combo; narrow as it was, any kind of graveyard hate would
have been great.
Round 3 – Mike (Bant Midrange)
Mike, also a pseudonym for my opponent whose name I cannot
recall, was a recently reinstated Magic player; most recently a WoW TCG player,
he had played Magic back in his youth and had only played again starting with
the RTR Prerelease where he performed admirably. His deck was a borrowed stack, and I had no
idea what it was. As he ran out an Arbor
Elf and a heap of Forests, I assembled the best board state I’d seen all night;
pairs of both Electromancers and Guttersnipes were flanked by a pair of Krenko
tokens, and after a fairly average combat, a pair of Brimstone Volleys
shattered his Thragtusk-padded life.
Game two saw his actual deck play. I thought it was just mono green before, but
here each color shone. It played Geist
of Saint Traft and Lyev Skynight, each of which produced a good amount of
pressure. Hitting some slightly awkward
Bonfires of the Damned and the occasional good burn spell, I was able to stave
off most of his offense, though. After a
particularly poor combat for him, I decided to go off with my Epic
Experiment. It was actually pretty
awful, hitting four lands, a Snapcaster and a Brimstone Volley. Still, eight combined damage from the
Guttersnipe and the Volley itself was enough.
On a sidenote, we played for fun afterward, and his deck actually
combo-ed Thragtusk and Deadeye Navigator for maximum value and he swarmed
me.
2-1
Before the final match, Kevin and I were chatting about the final
round; we were each 2-1, so there was a chance we’d meet in the final round.
We did.
Round 4 – Kevin (Izzet Stuffy Act)
I’m not sure what he actually calls his deck, but I was fairly
familiar with Kevin’s list. He and I had
playtested a shell of it before it was Standard legal, and he’d fine-tuned it
since then. In game one, a resolved
Talrand and pressure from a Chandra kept me on the backfoot, and I never
stepped forward; his deck managed superior card advantage very effectively. In game 2, I was more aggressive with my
burn, and I’d sided in Delver to actually give his Izzet Charms some other
targets. He had resolved three Stuffy Dolls that game (with the
fourth in hand, he told me later.) I
knew he had the Blasphemous Act in hand from an Auger of Bolas reveal, and we
both knew we’d have a counter war on our hands, so he played his creatures out
to shrink the cost of his Act. I dumbly
played a Delver on my turn, giving him the magic number of 2R to cast his
Act. I had three counterspells ready;
two Izzet Charms and a Snapcasted Syncopate, but he had the Redirect for the
final counterspell. The Act resolved, and I
took nearly twice my starting life total to the face.
2-2
Without the prospect of prizes, I packed up and headed out,
mulling the deck over in my head. In
retrospect, it turned out the deck was too cute to really play out. I build decks like this all the time on paper
(most of the sixteen decks I brewed are
like this), and I don’t often have a chance to play with them. Tonight was an
exception.
Mostly, I think the deck turned out to be too non-interactive
to flourish. I had a lot of trouble
dealing with un-burnable permanents, and I had no bounce to speak of to disrupt
a gameplan. The only time I resolved
Epic Experiment it only hit one instant, which was a huge letdown. I never got to live the dream and copy it
with Chandra, either.
The problem with this deck is the problem with every
incarnation I’ve done of U/R since it’s been legal; burn is its primary win
condition. This is, in the end, a
mono-red deck with some counterspells.
Mono-red is probably a thing-to-come, but not thanks to burn. The new mono-red will be efficient aggressive
creatures supported by a dash of burn. A format full of Thragtusks and lifelink
makes straight burn pretty unattractive, and this deck often couldn’t seal the
deal. I think I’ll be setting down Izzet
for a while in favor of some other color combos. Perhaps I’ll have a bit more luck with those.
The format is still pretty open. I’m looking forward to seeing what creative
minds will conjure for this season of Standard.
Next time, I have a very brew-tastic list that's sure to satisfy the quirky deckbuilder in you. Don’t
miss it!
Until then, don’t forget to untap!
- Matt H
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