Planeswalkers (10)
Spells (23)
Sideboard
Here we have another Planeswalker themed control deck along the lines of Zendikar’s Super Friends or last seasons Junk Walkers. It is really just your good ol’ UW control from Theros standard with a small splash of green for Kiora, the Crashing Wave and Mistcutter Hydra out of the sideboard. It moves away from the Aetherling win con and opts for a Planeswalker plan only in the main.
The main deck contains UW‘s usual removal, counter and draw package. The powerful Azorius Charm is used mostly for tempo with Detention Sphere as four-ofs along side a couple of Last Breaths for removal. Your counter package is just a set of Dissolve and a Syncopate. For draw spells it’s primarily the instant speed Sphinx’s Revelation, but also Azorius Charm can be used for it’s draw one which can be handy in conjunction with the Scry from your lands and spells. Although there are no Divination or Opportunity, there is still Jace who coupled with Kiora‘s Explore ability is still a potent draw engine. Finally there’s a set of Supreme Verdict as your number one sweeper with Elspeth‘s minus three as a good alternative against things like RG Monsters and Desecration Demon.
This deck’s main goal is to survive long enough to stabilize on board than finally winning with the sheer power of it’s Planeswalkers or the odd time with Mutavault beatdown. You take control by wiping the board with Supreme Verdict or Elspeth and using Sphinx’s Revelation to come back by gaining life and drawing into your answers.
The sideboard gets interesting as it has a few surprises against opponents who side out all or most of there removal and sweepers. There is a set of Archangel of Thune and three Brimaz, King of Oreskos which if used together will make a rapidly growing token army when left unchecked. Mistcutter Hydra is a great answer against Mono-Blue Devotion. Pithing Needle for things like Maze’s End or other Walkers and Negate to counter any non-creature threats. Revoke Existence is mainly against Indestructible gods like Thassa or Erebos and can also get rid of Underworld Connections.
Big Boros
Michael Kinney
1st Place at StarCityGames Standard Open on 1/18/2014
Lands (25)
Creatures (16)
Planeswalkers (3)
Spells (16)
Sideboard (15)
Winning the SCG Standard Open in Columbus this weekend we have a Red/White Midrange deck that its pilot liked to refer to as Big Boros. It’s a pretty sweet concoction which had the stamina to make it to and take down the final table. There was some luck handed to him in the shape of an epic misplay in his quarterfinal match when his opponent minused Elspeth and destroyed his own Ætherling but that should not downplay how good this deck actually is.
The core of the deck consists of a wide range of threats capable of performing across a varied field. The heavy hitters come in the form of Elspeth, Assemble the Legion, Stormbreath Dragon, Purphoros and Chandra which are able to attack from different angles. The only issue lies with the very limited card selection engines which only come from Chandra and the Scry from Magma Jet. For supporting characters there are two sets of three drops in Boros Reckoner and Chandra’s Phoenix. We find some incredible synergy with Young Pyromancer and Purphoros working with the dozen instants to quickly work away your opponents life total one . Speaking of those instants there is a robust burn package with Magma Jet, Lightning Strike and Warleader’s Helix all of which double as removal. For true removal there’s a pair of both Chained to the Rocks and Mizzium Mortars to help clear out any opposition.
Putting it all together we have a a resilient package that works hard to diminish the opponents life total quickly and efficiently. Definitely give this deck a whirl if you like aggresive midrange style decks, you won’t be disappointed. And we will see if Born of the Gods has any new toys which will continue to push this deck to the forefront. Perhaps Archetype of Courage, Searing Blood or Brimaz will find a spot. Only time will tell.
Eric J Seltzer
@ejseltzer on Twitter
ejseltzer@hotmail.com
WOW !!! A huge congrats to Owen T with his back to back GP titles in two wildly different formats. This deck that he used to win the Standard GP was a real beaut to watch him pilot. The true MVP of this deck is a card that most held as an overpowered limited card, but not a huge constructed powerhouse. Owen showed how crazy Pack Rat can really play. A typical opening of turn one Thoughtseize into turn two Pack Rat often meant you were going to face down a plethora of rats in the next few turns, and activating Mutavaults buffs them as they are also rats. Not that this was the only line of play as turn three would often see Specter, turn four Demon and then turn five could have a potential 8 devotion Gray Merchant. And the one of Erebos is good for some card advantage but amazing at stopping opponents from regaining lost life, especially in the mirror match from their Gray Merchants. A full set of Underworld Connections makes sure that there is a steady stream of cards flowing to your hands at the cost of some minimal life points. The rest of the deck is a very powerful removal suite with Hero’s Downfall, Devour Flesh, Doom Blade and Ultimate Price to ensure there isn’t heavy resistance against your heavy beaters.
W/R Aggro (White Weenie)
Ben Lundquist
1st Place at StarCityGames Standard Open on 11/3/2013
Lands (22)
Creatures (26)
Planeswalkers (3)
Other spells (9)
Sideboard (15)
A couple weeks ago I introduced a Boros”White weenie” deck that made top 8 at Grand Prix Louisville piloted by Justin Herrell. This weekend Ben Lundquist piloted a Boros deck similar to this white weenie strategy and took down the standard SCG Open in L.A.
Ben’s version uses Boros Elite and Frontline Medic with the Battalion abilities which can get activated early on thanks to Mutavault. Brave the Elements is very powerful as a win condition or to protect against removal. Boros Charm seems better versus control, to protect against sweepers or to hit 4 points to a Planeswalker like a Jace, Architect of Thought which will nerf you’re already small creatures. Ajani, Caller of the Pride in the main instead of the sideboard looks interesting as well, reminds me of Elspeth, Knight-Erant in some of the old White Weenie decks. Another new bear that we didn’t see in the old list is Azorius Arrester in the main instead of Banisher Priest which are now in the sideboard. Once you board in those Priest against Aggro it gives you good tempo. I imagine the Fiendslayer Paladin are great against Mono red and Mono Black which are prominent in this meta.
Last big obvious change is the extra red spells in the sideboard instead of just Boros Charm in the main. Mizzium Mortars and Warleader’s Helix against aggro and Burning Earth probably against control like Sphinx’s revelation strategies.
Orzhov Midrange
David Doberne
2nd Place at StarCityGames Standard Open on 10/20/2013
Main Deck
60 cards
25 lands
18 creatures
16 other spells
Sideboard
15 sideboard cards
Boros “White Weenie”
Justin Herrell
Grand Prix Louisville – Top 16 Theros Standard
Main Deck
60 cards
23 lands
26 creatures
11 other spells
Sideboard
15 sideboard cards
This interesting Boros deck popped at GP Louisville this weekend, which is more like a white weenie with a splash of red for the four of the powerful Boros Charm. It has a low curve with powerful one-drops and bears that all have good abilities. Small cost for a low budget with Mutavault being the highest value which is a great investment since there played in all the formats (At this point everyone should have 4 in there collection). The Imposing Sovereign is a good tempo because your opponents have to wait 1 turn before they can effectively block with creatures they just summoned. The Precinct Captain helps your army grow. Spear of Heliod as your Glorious anthem and removal as an added bonus. Banisher Priest as removal is going to come as a surprise for most opponents and then you get to bash him with it too. The splash for Boros charm also makes total sense with so many sweepers like supreme verdict, Mizzium Mortars and Anger of the gods in this meta. The other two options are possible finishers or even combat tricks if you really need it. The Brave the Elements is also a good finisher when you want to go all out especially against Mono-Blue, Mono-Black and Mono-Red which are rampant in this meta and Mono-Green and the mirror while were at it too! This deck earns an honorable mention for getting Justin Herrell into the Top 16 of Grand Prix Louisville. Its fast and it looks really fun with all its cool useful small drops.
Spells (5)
Lands (25)
Planeswalkers (1)
Creatures (29)
Sideboard (15)
