Gatecrash has me toying with deckbuild again, though I’m not sure why.
First up is one I’ve titled “X-Men”. I’ve been really, really enjoying playing this deck with the current Standard cards, and the manabase only gets better once Gatecrash is released.
This is a classic (non-prison) control deck that slows the tempo of the early game to allow you to play back-breaking late game spells. At the high end it runs the most powerful non-green cards in Standard – Sphinx’s Revelation, Bonfire of the Damned, Entreat the Angels, Jace, Architect of Thought, Tamiyo, the Moon Sage and Chandra, the Firebrand who is excellent in the deck. At the low-end it runs Azorius Charm and Izzet Charm for supreme flexibility in either nuking early plays, running groun interference, or ensuring land-drops are made.
This deck really wants to find a home for Aurelia’s Fury and to make sure it has a way to kill Frontline Medic reliably, without resorting to wraths. Mizzum Mortars may well be the best option in this regard. It also currently has a hard time with non-creature permanents you don’t manage to counter, thus the Detention Sphere in the sideboard.
X-Men: A Standard Deck
| Instants (20) 4 Azorius Charm 4 Izzet Charm 4 Think Twice 4 Syncopate 4 Sphinx’s Revelation Sorceries (12) 3 Supreme Verdict 3 Terminus 3 Entreat the Angels 3 Bonfire of the Damned Planeswalkers (4) 2 Chandra, the Firebrand 1 Jace, Architect of Thought 1 Tamiyo, the Moon Sage Lands (24) 4 Clifftop Retreat 4 Glacial Fortress 4 Hallowed Fountain 4 Sulfur Falls 4 Steam Vents 2 Plains 2 Island | Possible Sideboard Cards (0) 0 Dispel 0 Gideon 0 Vanishment 0 Detention Sphere 0 Snapcaster Mage 0 Psychic Spiral 0 Divine Deflection |
A second deck is my attempt at a post-Seething-Song-ban Modern Storm list.
Post-Ban Storm: A Modern List
| Creatures (4) 4 Goblin Electromancer Enchantments (4) 4 Pyromancer Ascension Instants (17) 1 Noxious Revival 4 Desperate Ritual 4 Pyretic Ritual 4 Peer Through Depths 4 Manamorphose Sorceries (18) 4 Gitaxian Probe 3 Grapeshot 3 Epic Experiment 4 Sleight of Hand 1 Serum Visions 3 Past in Flames Lands (17) 4 Scalding Tarn 4 Steam Vents 4 Sulfur Falls 3 Gemstone Mine 1 Mountain 1 Island |
Yes, the deck is a bit of a glass cannon, but you are perfectly capable of going off on T3, though T4 is a lot more consistent. Effectively you need to play and stick either Electromancer or Pyromancer Ascension. Either one is enough to get the combo going (Electromancer may even be a little more reliable than Pyromancer). The question here is usually whether 4 Slight/1 Serum is better than 4 Serum/1 Slight, but only testing will reveal it.
For the sideboard I’d suggest the usual; Echoing Truth, Pact of Negation (which you’re never paying for), Ancient Grudge, Izzet Charm perhaps if you need to force through either Electromaner or Pyromancer, though urgh, it’s a stretch.
Storm isn’t dead (as neither is Jund), although the nerf hurts considerably. But if every deck capable of winning on T3 is getting nuked, then a deck like this that is still capable of winning on T3 has an advantage – especially if no-one is expecting to see it.
