The Standard RUG deck has been one of my favorite decks ever since its conception. I first saw the deck in an article by Brad Nelson back when it was in Block constructed. While I didn't actually start to play the deck for a while, I was very quick to start playing Turboland (I actually designed the deck on my own thoughts before its first showing in tournaments) which was a fairly similar deck. I tried playing twisting my Turboland into RUG during Standard for a change of pace but found myself most content with the normal Turboland shell.
Fast forward to rotation and I find myself looking for a deck now that Time Warp has left me. Brad Nelson writes another article on the amazing RUG deck, talking up its potential as a powerful deck for the new Standard that he plans on taking to States. I played the deck and fell in love once again. The sad part is I somehow convinced myself not to play it, thinking it would be a bad choice, as I constantly was losing games vs. Quest with the deck (which was really its only bad match up.) I would soon then be kicking myself, not only because the deck I did take to states was really bad, but because my friend Nick Rennard from high school played a RUG deck about 5 cards different from my original list and won Oregon States with it (he was the only RUG player I saw the entire day.)
After states I realized how dumb I was and went back to playing the best deck in the format, like I should have just been doing before. Today, I find myself with new Mirrodin Besieged cards and a ton of potential for RUG! Here is a list I have brewed up as a potential list for the deck with MBS cards.
*DISCLAIMER - I haven't tested this list at all yet. This list is based on theoretical ideas for the deck.*
RUG Ramp (Standard)
Creatures (9)
4 Lotus Cobra
1 Oracle of Mul Daya
1 Avenger of Zendikar
2 Inferno Titan
1 Rampaging Baloth
Non Creature Spells (24)
4 Explore
4 Preordain
4 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
4 Mana Leak
3 Lightning Bolt
1 Slagstorm
2 Green Sun's Zenith
1 Blue Sun's Zenith
1 Red Sun's Zenith
Lands (27)
4 Islands
3 Forests
2 Mountains
4 Raging Ravine
4 Misty Rainforest
4 Scalding Tarn
2 Halimar Depths
3 Copperline Gorge
1 Terramorphic Expanse
Here is my reasoning for my card choices. I will skip the obvious ones, such as all the cards that are passing over from the current version of the deck.
1 Oracle of Mul Daya: While a lot of people have started using Garruk in this spot merely as a meta choice, I am opting against him. However, as opposed to using three copies of Oracle, I've instead cut down to only one and instead replaced the other two with Green Sun's Zenith (see later.) I can't deny that Oracle is bad in some match ups, which is why people prefer Garruk over him, but IMO Oracle makes the deck and just allows for so many explosive plays. I leave him at one and let GSZ fill the rest (again, see GSZ below.)
1 Rampaging Baloth: A lot of these choices are revolving around the new addition of Green Sun's Zenith. I actually have always been fond of Rampaging Baloth, and while I understand his faults, I am a big believer in his bonus's, especially in the current meta. I wanted another threat that would be fetchable with Green Sun's Zenith and this guy was a perfect spot. He is essentially the third Titan that most lists would run, being a 6/6 for 6 with some cool stuff added on. Primevil Titan doesn't seem that strong in a deck like this as he doesn't affect the board much when he comes down, where as this guy can almost act like a green Grave Titan, making 10/10 power the turn he hits the field (that can potentially make a LOT more.) Regardless, the main reason he's here is to be the "third titan" that in this case can be found with GSZ.
1 Slagstorm: I'm not excited to put several board sweepers in my mainboard to put my poor Cobra's in danger, but Slagstorm is different thanks to its option of hitting players instead. It can act as a board sweeper when I need it vs. aggro decks while still being relevant in other match ups, being able to kill a Jace or any other planeswalker. I have it replacing a Lightning Bolt to help ensure aggro stays down.
2 Green Sun's Zenith: This card is the real deal as well as the reason this particular deck list is designed the way it is. Essentially being every green creature in my deck at the same time, this card is extra Lotus Cobras, Oracles, and my big landfall threats, all in one amazing card It seemed a natural replacement over Oracle as the card is both the strongest AND weakest card in the deck. By putting in Green Sun's Zenith, it helps make bad draws with Oracle much better as you won't draw multiples of him or get him in aggro match ups as often. Instead, this is most often going to be extra Lotus Cobras, something I am MORE than happy to have more of in every match up. Between being ramp and a win condition in the same card, I'm not sure what's not to like about this. I have tweaked the deck to cater a bit more to this card but it may be fine in most normal lists even as Oracles #2 and 3.
1 Blue Sun's Zenith: If you ever played Turboland then you know the magic behind Lotus Cobra and Mindspring. This is a much better Mindspring as it's instant speed, so you can force it on an opponent at the end of their turn, giving them the choice of allowing you a huge card draw or countering it and allowing you to tap out for a Titan or Jace the next turn. Its hard to tell what the meta will be like and whether this card will be better delegated to the sideboard or perhaps if it calls for more copies in the main, but one thing is for sure in my mind; this card belongs in this deck.
On a side note, you may notice my amount of 1 of's. While I do like 1 of's a lot as I tinker a lot with probability in my head, in RUG running 1-of's is not that much of a liability, as the deck has so much card selection that you often see almost every single one of your cards through out a given match. This list also caters a lot to the 1-of's, with GSZ tutoring the one-of creatures in particular. The one Slagstorm is just a different Lightning Bolt in my mind, and this one Blue Sun's Zenith is simply a 1-of for the reason that it may be awkward to have lots of these floating around. I would guess the deck wouldn't want more than two in the main board, however.
1 Red Sun's Zenith: A lot of people like to run a fifth counterspell (often deprive or spell pierce) or a fifth burn spell, and in this case this is the fifth burn spell. This card is the the one I'm least sure about, however its benefits seem great. The deck has a good match up vs. Vampires except when vampires starts to get Bloodghasts going, in which case things become a bit tricker. This card is great at zapping Bloodghasts out of the game, while still being the Comet Storm this deck used to run. It also will be fantastic vs. Wurmcoil for the times where you can't keep a Jace on the board to just bounce it. As with all of the Zeniths, the shuffling effect will be nice in a deck like this where you are sure to see it multiple times as you plow through the cards in your deck.
As for the sideboard, the only real thing I'm thinking other than extra copies of some of the new cards, mainly the Zeniths and Slagstorms, is Thrun. Thrun seems awesome vs. U/B as they don't have many non-sideboard answers to him. The best part is, thanks to GSZ, only one copy of him will be needed in the sideboard, as GSZ will act as the extra copies. This goes for all other green creatures that you may want to sideboard as well; GSZ will allow for much stronger sideboarding, something I'm very excited for.
Overall, this deck did gain a few pieces from MBS, and I expect it to remain a top deck for a long time. Its natural card advantage engine and power turns from Lotus Cobra will remain a strong strategy for as long as it exists. I'm going to be testing this list very soon and I'll return with results!
Brandon
Monday, February 7, 2011
Thursday, February 3, 2011
My Top 10 MBS Cards for Constructed
After a long and perhaps slightly grueling Magic winter, we're now greeted with the first set of the new year and it's pretty exciting! At the beginning of spoilers I wasn't all that hyped up by some of the cards but after seeing the set as a whole I'm anxious to start sleeving up new cards and play-testing. Scars of Mirrodin was mostly a flop, especially on standard with only a few cards from the set seeing play in any of the formats. Mirrodin Besieged however looks a lot more promising, with cards that I think will rock several formats of magic. Lets get started!
10. Hero of Bladehold
While I'm not the most fond of weenie strategies, this girl is certainly a beating in WW and similar decks. By herself if she goes unanswered she'll deal a full 18 to your life in just two turns of attacking! If you already have a few guys on the field then she's just gravy, and will probably end the game when he gets to attack. Combine him with other battle cry cards like Accorder Paladin and Contested Warzone and we might have a strong deck coming our way. In addition to all of this, the extra little nice thing about him is his four toughness, being able to dodge Lightning Bolt. Four CMC slot is a very competitive slot for all decks and is even questionable in a deck like WW given how low you want the curve, but I think she is worthy of the slot.
9. Black Sun's Zenith
I like this card a lot, and while it's not the strongest sweeper in the world, it's in the color black which makes it that much better (and off sets the better spot removal white got for so long *COUGH PATH TO EXILE COUGH*.) While it may not always wipe the entire board, it can at least make some things weak enough that they're mostly irrelevant. A 6/6 Frost Titan is a beating, but a 3/3? I'm okay with that. This card makes a very great slip into U/B control in standard and will probably replace Consume the Meek or regulate it to small numbers in the sideboard. This card also helps ensure that aggro decks will be kept in check (as well as a few other cards I have on this list) which is a bit sad because it seems as though they never really took off in the first place, with Vampires being the only aggro deck capable of fighting at the top tables.
8. Hero of Oxid Ridge
I thought for a while about this card but I came to the conclusion that I had to put him on this list. At 4/2 Haste for 4 he's already a little interesting but Battle cry is what makes this guy. He will make a great top end card for Goblins and other various creature heavy red decks. If you can have creatures on turn one, two, and three and drop this guy on turn four it will pretty much be guaranteed death unless for some reason you're playing a bunch of vanilla 1/1's. His last ability is just gravy, making your army hit past Wall of Omens, Sea Gate Oracle, Squadron Hawk, etc. I expect him to end up being the Mirran hero of choice in Boros, though I wouldn't be surprised if Hero of Bladehold found its way into the sideboard for matches where it needs more bodies to get through.
7. Thrun, the Last Troll
I expect this guy to have some pretty solid impact on Standard, and maybe even find his way into Extended (sorry, Faeries.) While he won't be auto jammed into every deck with Forests in it like a lot of people seem to think, he'll be very strong in decks that work with him. Regenerate is definitely what makes this card in my opinion, as we may finally see Regenerate be used now that "It can't be regenerated" isn't tacked onto every single removal spell. In current standard decks I find him making his way into RUG to put some pain on U/B. I really don't see him in decks like Valakut, as Valakut does not want a random 4/4, they just want more ways for Primevil to stick and do his job. Still, I see this guy smacking a lot of Jace's in the near future.
6. Blightsteel Colossus
I'm pretty sure this guy is not going to be hard casted very much, but I'm sure he'll be Shape Anew'd or Tinkered onto the field a lot. I too really am not a fan of this card, as well as pretty much every other big stupid creature Wizards has made recently. I think big huge things make the game a little out of whack as its easy in every format to cheat these guys into play, whether you're going to Summoning Trap, Polymorph/Shape Anew, Tinker, Natural Order, etc., they will get on the field way before they're intended to. This guy is easily the next worst to Emrakul, as this guy will just straight up kill you in one swing, where as Emrakul usually just guaranteed you weren't going to win. Regardless, this card is good and will see lots of play in all formats (though perhaps less so standard, at least for the moment.)
5. Inkmoth Nexus
Infect has been looking for a way to have a chance in the spot light and it definitely just got it. Infect is not an incredibly strong idea for the top tables of Standard tournaments in part because man lands are such a huge part of the Format. Now that infect has a man land, we may start seeing some Infect in the near future. This card has a lot more than just being a tool for Infect, though. Should proliferate ever become a strong strategy you can now just stick these in your deck without even sticking infect creatures in and threaten a win condition by just hitting them once with this. U/B control might just have a potential poison option in the near future now that you don't have to feel as bad for not running Tar Pit to his true potential (though he will still certainly see play at least for the sake that he taps for both colors and kills planeswalkers.) The last and perhaps most awesome feature of this card is that it is an artifact creature, which enables so many things from Tinker/Shape Anew (see the card above) to Metalcraft. I say expect to see this card for a while.
4. Slagstorm
This is probably my favorite card in the set for so many reasons. Being a red mage at heart, this card makes me feel pretty giddy; it blows up a bunch of creatures or it can bolt the dome for game/kill a planeswalker, all in one awesome card! In Extended/Legacy, any deck that currently uses Firespout that can afford to cast RR will probably switch to this card, as I really don't see the option of hitting only flyers or non flyers better than the option here on Slagstorm (and thats assuming you're playing red and green.) In standard this will definitely see some widespread play simply for the fact that it's a creature sweeper that can hit Jace when you need to. In heavy red decks Turn 3 Slagstorm into Turn 4 Koth will result in a lot of wins, as everyone who has played Koth knows that he dominates when there are no creatures on the other side of the board. While I'm certainly happy they printed this card, I really must wonder why they printed it. It's as though they thought aggro would actually be good by now (how much testing did they do with those Titans?)
3. Go for the Throat
What an awesome card. Maybe I'm just picky, but I've never been a fan of Doom Blade, as I only like conditional removal if the condition is pretty reasonable (I think an entire color, no matter what the meta is like, is a lot to ask.) While I guess you could say this still affects a 'color', it just so happens to just be way better than Doom Blade and pretty much every other mono black removal spell ever printed. In standard people are going to start slamming more Wurmcoil Engines to help avoid this, but in older formats this card is going to be at its prime. The only problem with this card is how you're going to say it when playing, as "I'm going to throat it" doesn't sound right.
2. Contested Warzone
I think this card is a big sleeper and is definitely one of the better cards in the set, which is why I ranked it so high on this list. War cry has already proven itself a powerful effect and sticking it on a land is very strong. Most of the time this will just be played like Tectonic Edge; more like a spell than a land, but it just so happens to also be a land. Vs. control it won't be much of a liability to just slap this down early on and lay down the beating, but in vs. aggro you will just save it until you need it for the final push. This card definitely has potential in other formats as any deck with lots of creatures that can afford the space will want this card. In addition, this card also seems like a great tutor for Knight of the Reliquary. If tapping lots of creatures has any chance of being a top strategy in Standard, this card will likely be a part of it.
1. Green Sun's Zenith
Green Sun's Zenith definitely seems like the strongest card in the set. Tutor cards never fail to be strong and one that puts creatures right onto the battlefield is going to be quite powerful. In standard this will be used in a variety of decks, but will likely be very strong in Valakut as it will allow it one of "bullet creatures" as well as acting like Primevil Titans 5-8, as if summoning trap didn't do that enough. In a deck with all green creatures this card will essentially be every single creature in your deck with an additional G added onto its mana cost. In fact I think just about the only competitive green decks that won't at least consider this are the decks in extended that have Bloodbraid Elf (cascade into this for 0 doesn't seem that good unless your packing memnites...?) Natural Order in Legacy shows us the power of tutoring green creatures onto the battlefield, and this card will probably be good in that deck too, but thankfully this card will not be as broken. That doesn't stop this from being the best card in the set.
While he's not in my Top 10 List, I think Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas deserves a shout out as a potentially powerful card. I think is main problem that he will be very restricted to what decks he can go in, which seems to be the path most Planeswalkers are taking now. Koth was restricting, but in my opinion he is not only far more powerful, but he is also a lot easier to field, as there are already a ton of decks with lots of mountains in them. In fact the only reason he isn't seeing as much play in standard as he should is the sad state of other red cards, or at the very least the overpowering state of decks such as Valakut. Tezzeret on the other hand will be a lot harder to field in all formats; Standard doesn't have enough good artifacts to make up for fielding Tezzeret as it currently stands, and he doesn't seem powerful enough for Legacy or Vintage (though quite honestly I know nothing about Vintage, but I do know Tezzeret 1.0 sees a good deal of play there...) Extended seems like a possibility thanks to the Esper Shard, so I have hope for him there. He has very powerful abilities but his limitations will certainly be the death of him.
That's all for my Top 10, feel free to drop a comment and stay in touch for upcoming articles on my new deck brews!
Brandon
10. Hero of Bladehold
While I'm not the most fond of weenie strategies, this girl is certainly a beating in WW and similar decks. By herself if she goes unanswered she'll deal a full 18 to your life in just two turns of attacking! If you already have a few guys on the field then she's just gravy, and will probably end the game when he gets to attack. Combine him with other battle cry cards like Accorder Paladin and Contested Warzone and we might have a strong deck coming our way. In addition to all of this, the extra little nice thing about him is his four toughness, being able to dodge Lightning Bolt. Four CMC slot is a very competitive slot for all decks and is even questionable in a deck like WW given how low you want the curve, but I think she is worthy of the slot.
9. Black Sun's Zenith
I like this card a lot, and while it's not the strongest sweeper in the world, it's in the color black which makes it that much better (and off sets the better spot removal white got for so long *COUGH PATH TO EXILE COUGH*.) While it may not always wipe the entire board, it can at least make some things weak enough that they're mostly irrelevant. A 6/6 Frost Titan is a beating, but a 3/3? I'm okay with that. This card makes a very great slip into U/B control in standard and will probably replace Consume the Meek or regulate it to small numbers in the sideboard. This card also helps ensure that aggro decks will be kept in check (as well as a few other cards I have on this list) which is a bit sad because it seems as though they never really took off in the first place, with Vampires being the only aggro deck capable of fighting at the top tables.
8. Hero of Oxid Ridge
I thought for a while about this card but I came to the conclusion that I had to put him on this list. At 4/2 Haste for 4 he's already a little interesting but Battle cry is what makes this guy. He will make a great top end card for Goblins and other various creature heavy red decks. If you can have creatures on turn one, two, and three and drop this guy on turn four it will pretty much be guaranteed death unless for some reason you're playing a bunch of vanilla 1/1's. His last ability is just gravy, making your army hit past Wall of Omens, Sea Gate Oracle, Squadron Hawk, etc. I expect him to end up being the Mirran hero of choice in Boros, though I wouldn't be surprised if Hero of Bladehold found its way into the sideboard for matches where it needs more bodies to get through.
7. Thrun, the Last Troll
I expect this guy to have some pretty solid impact on Standard, and maybe even find his way into Extended (sorry, Faeries.) While he won't be auto jammed into every deck with Forests in it like a lot of people seem to think, he'll be very strong in decks that work with him. Regenerate is definitely what makes this card in my opinion, as we may finally see Regenerate be used now that "It can't be regenerated" isn't tacked onto every single removal spell. In current standard decks I find him making his way into RUG to put some pain on U/B. I really don't see him in decks like Valakut, as Valakut does not want a random 4/4, they just want more ways for Primevil to stick and do his job. Still, I see this guy smacking a lot of Jace's in the near future.
6. Blightsteel Colossus
I'm pretty sure this guy is not going to be hard casted very much, but I'm sure he'll be Shape Anew'd or Tinkered onto the field a lot. I too really am not a fan of this card, as well as pretty much every other big stupid creature Wizards has made recently. I think big huge things make the game a little out of whack as its easy in every format to cheat these guys into play, whether you're going to Summoning Trap, Polymorph/Shape Anew, Tinker, Natural Order, etc., they will get on the field way before they're intended to. This guy is easily the next worst to Emrakul, as this guy will just straight up kill you in one swing, where as Emrakul usually just guaranteed you weren't going to win. Regardless, this card is good and will see lots of play in all formats (though perhaps less so standard, at least for the moment.)
5. Inkmoth Nexus
Infect has been looking for a way to have a chance in the spot light and it definitely just got it. Infect is not an incredibly strong idea for the top tables of Standard tournaments in part because man lands are such a huge part of the Format. Now that infect has a man land, we may start seeing some Infect in the near future. This card has a lot more than just being a tool for Infect, though. Should proliferate ever become a strong strategy you can now just stick these in your deck without even sticking infect creatures in and threaten a win condition by just hitting them once with this. U/B control might just have a potential poison option in the near future now that you don't have to feel as bad for not running Tar Pit to his true potential (though he will still certainly see play at least for the sake that he taps for both colors and kills planeswalkers.) The last and perhaps most awesome feature of this card is that it is an artifact creature, which enables so many things from Tinker/Shape Anew (see the card above) to Metalcraft. I say expect to see this card for a while.
4. Slagstorm
This is probably my favorite card in the set for so many reasons. Being a red mage at heart, this card makes me feel pretty giddy; it blows up a bunch of creatures or it can bolt the dome for game/kill a planeswalker, all in one awesome card! In Extended/Legacy, any deck that currently uses Firespout that can afford to cast RR will probably switch to this card, as I really don't see the option of hitting only flyers or non flyers better than the option here on Slagstorm (and thats assuming you're playing red and green.) In standard this will definitely see some widespread play simply for the fact that it's a creature sweeper that can hit Jace when you need to. In heavy red decks Turn 3 Slagstorm into Turn 4 Koth will result in a lot of wins, as everyone who has played Koth knows that he dominates when there are no creatures on the other side of the board. While I'm certainly happy they printed this card, I really must wonder why they printed it. It's as though they thought aggro would actually be good by now (how much testing did they do with those Titans?)
3. Go for the Throat
What an awesome card. Maybe I'm just picky, but I've never been a fan of Doom Blade, as I only like conditional removal if the condition is pretty reasonable (I think an entire color, no matter what the meta is like, is a lot to ask.) While I guess you could say this still affects a 'color', it just so happens to just be way better than Doom Blade and pretty much every other mono black removal spell ever printed. In standard people are going to start slamming more Wurmcoil Engines to help avoid this, but in older formats this card is going to be at its prime. The only problem with this card is how you're going to say it when playing, as "I'm going to throat it" doesn't sound right.
2. Contested Warzone
I think this card is a big sleeper and is definitely one of the better cards in the set, which is why I ranked it so high on this list. War cry has already proven itself a powerful effect and sticking it on a land is very strong. Most of the time this will just be played like Tectonic Edge; more like a spell than a land, but it just so happens to also be a land. Vs. control it won't be much of a liability to just slap this down early on and lay down the beating, but in vs. aggro you will just save it until you need it for the final push. This card definitely has potential in other formats as any deck with lots of creatures that can afford the space will want this card. In addition, this card also seems like a great tutor for Knight of the Reliquary. If tapping lots of creatures has any chance of being a top strategy in Standard, this card will likely be a part of it.
1. Green Sun's Zenith
Green Sun's Zenith definitely seems like the strongest card in the set. Tutor cards never fail to be strong and one that puts creatures right onto the battlefield is going to be quite powerful. In standard this will be used in a variety of decks, but will likely be very strong in Valakut as it will allow it one of "bullet creatures" as well as acting like Primevil Titans 5-8, as if summoning trap didn't do that enough. In a deck with all green creatures this card will essentially be every single creature in your deck with an additional G added onto its mana cost. In fact I think just about the only competitive green decks that won't at least consider this are the decks in extended that have Bloodbraid Elf (cascade into this for 0 doesn't seem that good unless your packing memnites...?) Natural Order in Legacy shows us the power of tutoring green creatures onto the battlefield, and this card will probably be good in that deck too, but thankfully this card will not be as broken. That doesn't stop this from being the best card in the set.
While he's not in my Top 10 List, I think Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas deserves a shout out as a potentially powerful card. I think is main problem that he will be very restricted to what decks he can go in, which seems to be the path most Planeswalkers are taking now. Koth was restricting, but in my opinion he is not only far more powerful, but he is also a lot easier to field, as there are already a ton of decks with lots of mountains in them. In fact the only reason he isn't seeing as much play in standard as he should is the sad state of other red cards, or at the very least the overpowering state of decks such as Valakut. Tezzeret on the other hand will be a lot harder to field in all formats; Standard doesn't have enough good artifacts to make up for fielding Tezzeret as it currently stands, and he doesn't seem powerful enough for Legacy or Vintage (though quite honestly I know nothing about Vintage, but I do know Tezzeret 1.0 sees a good deal of play there...) Extended seems like a possibility thanks to the Esper Shard, so I have hope for him there. He has very powerful abilities but his limitations will certainly be the death of him.
That's all for my Top 10, feel free to drop a comment and stay in touch for upcoming articles on my new deck brews!
Brandon
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