Junk Zombies Feast on Standard

In my last post, I speculated that a PT Junk colored deck would do well at the Pro Tour. Well, that prediction was pretty bad, as there were only three “Junk Midrange” decks at the PT, so they weren’t even close to this deck.

Today I would like to take the “Saito Naya” concept of dropping dudes and more dudes and mix it up with Zombies to create an interesting deck. My main thoughts in Standard right now revolve around surviving mass removal, surviving early beats, and dealing with Boros Reckoner. Let’s see how this brew fares.

Breaking down the list!!

Creatures:

 

 

 

 

The main thing I wanted to do with the creatures in this deck is to squeeze out the most value possible.  Gravecrawler is obviously good with other zombies and I like the regeneration of Lotleth Troll against Supreme Verdicts right now. Dreg  Mangler is nicely a zombie to help with that recursion.  If I put more zombies in the deck I would rather just shift it to B/G Zombies.  The main reason I want to use “Junk” colors is Loxodon Smiter and Obzedat.  I  believe in Obzedat, but he’s just too slow against most of the fast decks.  Luckily against fast decks we have Gyre Sage/Troll/Smiter to put up some walls before Tusk/Obzedat can come down.  The other thing I like about this deck is its cheap spells.

Spells:

 

 

 

 

I feel that Abrupt Decay is a great card. I really like it in almost every format. The uncounterability is huge and the instant speed makes it all the better. It kills Boros Reckoner dead and can be used in response to Rancors/Rampagers.  I feel that all three charms in the deck are wonderful, but I’m still unsure as to how may of each to run. Some testing should reveal which is best over time.

Sideboard:

The sideboard is mainly focused against fast aggro decks and Shpinx’s Revelation decks.  Centaur Healer/Nighthawk/Faithmender come down against Aggro-wielders while Frontline Medic can counter crucial Sphinx’s Revelations and help make Thragtusk blockers impotent.

I can’t wait to play around with this deck on MTGO and see if it’s worth putting together IRL!

Brewing Up a New Deck Before Pro Tour Gatecrash

So, Pro Tour Gatecrash is this weekend and the format is Standard and Gatecrash Booster Draft. In the Gatecrash drafts I have run so far on Magic Online, I have lost miserably. So, basically, I have zero clue how to draft the new set. While I have managed to chain Return to Ravnica drafts for a few months now, Gatecrash still eludes me (I guess it’s only been a few days, meh).

So instead of focusing on draft where my insight would likely be terrible, I’ll switch to Standard and do some fun speculating on that format!

I think that Red/Green Aggro is going to be present at the pro tour, but perhaps not in great numbers. It does make a good fall-back deck, though, when you want something consistent, fast, and easy to pilot.

Also keep an eye out for Jund Aggro to take it to the next level. Or perhaps Jund Midrange. But some form of Jund colors (Red/Black/Green) will be represented for sure.

Esper Control and the Angel of Glory’s Rise Human Combo deck will make some showings as well, given their respective finishes recently and the potential flexibility of each.

The deck I would like to speculate on is a different color combination than we’ve seen lately, PT Junk colors (Green/Black/White). Now that Gatecrash is on the scene and we have all of the shocklands, this deck becomes possible. Here’s my initial list:

Deck: New Junk

Counts : 60 main / 15 sideboard

Creatures:18
4 Arbor Elf
4 Deathrite Shaman
2 Restoration Angel
3 Obzedat, Ghost Council
4 Thragtusk
1 Angel of Serenity

Spells:19
4 Abrupt Decay
3 Blind Obedience
4 Farseek
2 Orzhov Charm
4 Lingering Souls
2 Oblivion Ring

Lands:23
3 Cavern of Souls
3 Forest
4 Godless Shrine
1 Isolated Chapel
4 Overgrown Tomb
2 Plains
1 Swamp
4 Temple Garden
1 Vault of the Archangel

Sideboard:15
2 Ground Seal
2 Ray of Revelation
3 Centaur Healer
2 Intrepid Hero
4 Loxodon Smiter
1 Trostani, Selesnya’s Voice
1 Sigarda, Host of Herons

So the objective of the deck is to ramp into good stuff while getting maximum utlity/value out of every card. Arbor Elf and Farseek are there to fix mana and/or ramp into spells like Obzedat and Thragtusk or Angel of Serenity. Deathrite Shaman is great against the reanimator decks and can snag opposing Lingering Souls, or gain life against aggro. Restoration Angel and Thragtusk are long-time buddies.

Lingering Souls should help to keep your life total lofty until Obzedat shows up to the party. Blind Obedience is a card that will see a lot of play. It shuts down haste creatures (Flinthoof Boar, Thundermaw Hellkite, Hellrider to name a few) and the Extort ability can really help you over the course of a long game. Orzhov Charm could be interchanged with some other spell, but each mode has its purpose. Bouncing your guy to save it from removal, destroying whatever creature you want, or reanimating a Deathrite Shaman (not likely, but you never know). It seems like a great Charm for constructed. And I threw a few O-Rings in there for good measure.

Cavern of Souls shuts down any counterspell shenanigans and allows you to force through Thragtusks and Obzedats.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Sideboard is completely untested and just an early indication of the options available. You’ve got Centaur Healer against aggro, Smiter against discard/slower decks, and Intrepid Hero, which is tech against opposing Obzedats/Hellkites.

I am really looking forward to seeing if someone tries out a strategy similar to this one. Good luck to everyone at the PT and Go Nigel!!

Edit: Also watch out for Red Deck Wins, Boros, and Black/Blue/Green!