First off, thanks to everyone that responded to my last article. My email got flooded with replies, and while most of them basically called me a fucking moron, it’s still nice to know that at least people are reading.

Goddamn, Standard sucks donkey balls.

Well, okay, it’s not that bad, but it really holds no appeal for me. I can’t quite put my finger on why, either. It’s a rather varied format right now, with a number of decks being competitive and a number of others are in development. Dictating the pace of a game has never been so easy. It’s actually thought-provocative.

And yet I’d still rather rip my eye out of its socket and run it through a paper shredder than sit through a Standard tournament.

Still, I suppose that I’m going to have to suck it up if I ever want to compete at anything bearing the name “Constructed” in the area. Extended, the hippest format in the land, isn’t heavily played around here, and that makes me one sad cat. I just can’t jive with Standard the way I can work my mojo on Extended.

Yeah, I wear bellbottoms. What of it? I’m one happening fly guy.

Me in bellbottoms = me losing a bet.

Not like an eat-my-hat bet, but that’s not my department.

I figure I’ll make one last deck for Standard, then say goodbye to it for a while. I’m probably just burned out or something; nothing a few months won’t cure. And if I don’t ever want to come back…well, I’ll just stick to Extended and the Limited formats. No big deal.

Oscar Tan inspired me somewhat. His series on The Deck, which is currently running on Star City, got me into a reminiscing mood. Specifically, the old The Deck build that would win off of Fireballs got me reminiscing. If you’re looking for someone to vote for in the War of the Writers, take a long look at Tan before making your decision. The original article can be found at http://www.starcitygames.com/php/news/expandnews.php?Article=2312. The decklist he put down was Brian Weissman’s 1996 PT: Dallas version of The Deck:

Blue (17)
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Time Walk
1 Timetwister
1 Amnesia
1 Braingeyser
1 Recall
4 Mana Drain
2 Counterspell
1 Force of Will
4 Mystical Tutor

White (7)
1 Balance
3 Disenchant
3 Swords to Plowshares

Black (2)
The Abyss
1 Demonic Tutor

Green (1)
1 Regrowth

Red (2)
2 Fireball

Artifact (3)
2 Jayemdae Tome
1 Mirror Universe

Mana (28)
1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Emerald
1 Sol Ring
4 Strip Mine
1 Library of Alexandria
4 City of Brass
3 Volcanic Island
4 Tundra
1 Plains
4 Island

There is simply no possible way to translate this deck into the current Standard. No way at all. There’s just too much power in Weissman’s deck. I mean, look at this beast: Power Nine, Balance, Regrowth, The Abyss, Library of Alexandria, Mana Drain, Braingeyser…It would be like trying to replace a Mox Ruby with a Fire Diamond.

Remember Jurassic Park? The best thing about that entire movie, hell, the entire series, is the nearly-mad ramblings of Jeff Goldblum. However, those ramblings were indeed based off of a real system of theories, commonly called Chaos Theory. Without going into far more than need be, part of this theory states that you can take a short-term trend and compare it with a long-term one, and the two will bear a striking resemblance to each other. I believe the example given in Jurassic Park (the book this time, not the movie) is the cotton, or possibly sugar, industry.

This part of Chaos Theory, which is really a discussion of fractals, can also be applied to things such as Magic, only in a more abstract way. Take the control theories of The Deck, for example. Not only did those theories apply back when The Deck was first created, they have constantly reappeared over the years. Reviewing the control decks of the past is Tan’s thing, so I won’t tread there (that, and that’s more research than I want to put into an article about Standard), but here’s a recent example:

U/W Control- Brian Hegstad, 2001 US Nationals

4 Adarkar Wastes
4 Coastal Tower
9 Island
8 Plains

4 Absorb
4 Accumulated Knowledge
4 Counterspell
4 Dismantling Blow
4 Fact or Fiction
2 Foil
3 Millstone
3 Story Circle
3 Tsabo's Web
4 Wrath of God

Notice the similarities of Hegstad’s deck and Weissman’s; not the cards themselves, but the theories behind the choices. Seeking to cripple the opponent’s offense and take control of not just the short-term game through cards such as Wrath of God and Accumulated Knowledge, but the long-term game as well, utilizing weapons such as Fact or Fiction and Story Circle.

Where The Deck of 1996 would seek to win after accumulating enough mana to Fireball out the opponent, Hegstad chose Millstone, a less pro-active card, to be sure, but one that was in many ways more difficult to disrupt. Hegstad’s deck would often look like it was just sitting there doing nothing once it had achieved control, occasionally drawing more cards when needed and Milling away.

Perhaps a more active deck example is needed.

U/B/r Control- Tim Bonneville, 2001 Amateur Championships


2 Urborg Volcano
2 Crosis' Catacombs
3 Shivan Reef
4 Salt Marsh
4 Underground River
9 Island

3 Nether Spirit

3 Force Spike
2 Tsabo's Decree
2 Void
4 Undermine
4 Counterspell
1 Opt
2 Spite/Malice
4 Accumulated Knowledge
4 Urza's Rage
3 Fact or Fiction
3 Tsabo's Web
2 Crosis' Charm

While it may not resemble the Hegstad deck very much, Bonneville’s design incorporates much the same concept as Hegstad’s. Achieve control and stay in the game for the long haul, eventually winning with the finisher of choice. Bonneville’s deck actually had a few different routes to victory, either by Nether Spirit or kicked Urza’s Rages, but both of these cards served a dual purpose. Nether Spirit could neutralize small ground forces, and Rage could burn away potential threats before being focused on the opponent’s dome.

The basic cornerstone theory behind all three decks: achieve long-term control, win with the chosen win condition when the timing is right.

From what I’ve seen, there isn’t really a deck like this in the current standard. The closest thing that I’ve seen to it is, once again, a Brian Hegstad deck, one that he played at the Master’s event at PT: San Diego.

4 Adarkar Wastes
3 Brushland
4 Coastal Tower
7 Island
2 Sungrass Prairie
3 Yavimaya Coast

4 Mystic Enforcer

3 Absorb
4 Counterspell
3 Disrupt
4 Fact or Fiction
3 Memory Lapse
3 Opt
4 Peek
2 Predict
4 Repulse
3 Wrath of God

However, this deck isn’t really a good representation of The Deck’s philosophy. Yes, it does indeed attempt to go into the late game with control of the board, only to win with a 6/6 pro-black flier, but look at some of the choices in the decklist.

Peek
Opt
Predict

These cards are geared towards filling the graveyard, not only to cantrip through the library, but to achieve threshold so that the Mystic Enforcers come out dragon-sized. It’s a more active approach to games than The Deck would take (there were always exceptions, of course, but generally The Deck would take its time winning, especially in 1996). Hegstad’s deck is the Replenish of the current Standard, setting up the graveyard so that the deck’s bomb can win the game.

There’s a vacancy in the current Standard for a true old-school control deck, one that isn’t focused on a satisfying a creature mechanism or throwing tons of cards in a graveyard to make a gigantic Psychatog. There’s no denying that the control decks in Standard right now are effective, but rather than making the kill cards secondary behind the control cards themselves, the kill cards are dictating the builds of the decks.

Is it possible to have a “true” control deck (I’ll only accept a control deck with an independent kill mechanism as being “true”) in today’s Standard? History teaches us that control decks step up to the plate in environments not dominated by ungodly speed like that of Tempest or broken combos like those of Urza’s Block, so there’s a very real chance that such a control deck exists. It’s just waiting to be found.

Keep in mind that the deck I will be describing is largely untested, only enough to determine a few card quantities and a tiny bit of card quality. After all, a few of the cards listed are unorthodox, to say the least.

Here’s the first build of a deck I’m sure I’ll be working with in the weeks to come:

THE PILE

4 Counterspell
4 Absorb
3 Wrath of God
4 Fact or Fiction
4 Predict (I’m really hoping there’s something better out there)
4 Repulse
2 Gerrard’s Wisdom
1 Ancestral Tribute
4 Urza’s Rage
2 Suffocating Blast
3 Memory Lapse

4 Adarkar Wastes
4 Coastal Tower
2 Battlefield Forge
3 Shivan Reef
9 Island
3 Plains

I’m going to have to work with the mana base, because that’s not right. It’s a place to start, though.

Some interesting choices, eh? The first things that probably stand out are Gerrard’s Wisdom, Ancestral Tribute, and Suffocating Blast. We’ll deal with those first.

Gerrard’s Wisdom has been strong in the past, even appearing in The Deck, sometimes even including all four copies. With everything having a set clock in Standard nowadays, Wisdom can be the trick to extending yourself out of the danger zone long enough to achieve control. Definitely a combo with Fact or Fiction, I think the time is right to reintroduce life gain as a viable control weapon, something that has been missing for a while now. Two is probably the right number; I have to tinker around with it for a while, but three would probably be too much, and one copy wouldn’t come up enough to make it truly valuable.

Ancestral Tribute, however, hasn’t made an appearance in a popular deck yet. A while back, though, while helping a friend, Val (who recently had her first article appear on The Tome, congrats on that), I threw a copy of Ancestral Tribute into a Blue/White control deck because there was an open slot. Good God does this thing lock up the late game! Against anything aggressive, it simply puts the game out of reach. Gaining twenty life is simplistic, and forty or more isn’t all that uncommon. When you add in the fact that it has flashback, it just gets scary. I’d never consider raising it above one copy, but I’m definitely more open to its inclusion than most people.

Most people say that Suffocating Blast is crap, and yeah, it really is. However, look at the current Standard. The majority of decks actually have targets for this thing, and it’s one of the few cards that can stop both a Call of the Herd token and Call of the Herd itself at the same time. If you’re going to hit a creature with Suffocating Blast, it becomes a very strong counter, and I definitely want this thing in the initial build of The Pile. It might just become a signature card if it performs as well as I think it will. Two seems correct, as I don’t really want one popping up in my opening hand.

Besides that, it’s pretty much back to basics. Try to counter anything that you can’t deal with resolving, playing it out so that your Wrath of Gods net you acceptable card advantage. Use Gerrard’s Wisdom in an attempt to offset early pressure that your opponent may place on you, but Wisdom is a fickle card. If it’s used too rashly, you won’t gain the kind of life you need to come out on top in the damage race. Get too greedy and wait too long, and your opponent’s board position will be too difficult to overcome. No one every said that a true control deck wouldn’t come with a need for heavy practice.

Once you get the card engine going with Fact or Fiction, Predict (I’m hoping there’s something better out there that I’m forgetting, maybe Compulsion out of Torment), and, to a lesser extent, Repulse, you should be able to simply outlast your opponent. This is where Ancestral Tribute really shines: if you make it into the late game against Rocket Shoes or other aggressive decks, Tribute will put the game almost completely out of reach for your opponent. Remember, in most cases you only need to get two twelve mana with two cards in your hand to win: get to twelve, and odds are you’ve got yourself the game. Random cards such as Life Burst make occasional appearances, of course, but it’s a matter of playing around things like that. No plan is foolproof, after all.

So there it is, my final attempt at a Standard deck for quite a while. I’ll build it and tweak it to my liking, then set it on the shelf and only take it down for a few Friday Night Magic tournaments and Regionals. Hell, I might even try to incorporate anything interesting from Torment into it once that becomes tournament legal. Once I’m happy with the deck and sideboard, though, I’m through.

Here’s a deck that I’m currently looking at for Odyssey Block Constructed, and while it’s only been tested a couple of times, I’m always looking to find viable Suicide Black decks in any format. This time around, though, it might just be possible.

The Beats
4 Carrion Rats
4 Nantuko Shade
4 Mindslicer
4 Rotting Giant

The Tools
4 Strength of Lunacy
4 Ghastly Demise
4 Cabal Ritual
4 Chainer’s Edict
4 Rancid Earth

The Hookup
24 Swamp

Nah, it’s not anywhere near done, but in the initial testing it’s done pretty well. Rancid Earth does kill off half my creatures at Threshold, yes, but it’s not like you’re tearing along trying to achieve Threshold in this deck, plus Rotting Giant offsets Threshold to a point. It’s not like someone is holding a gun to your head to cast it when you have Threshold, either. However, it’s a good stall tactic, allowing you to send in the pain for an extra turn or three most of the time.

Rule #1- You do not talk about Fight Club
Rule #2- You do not talk about Fight Club
Rule #3- You do not kill off Mindslicer

It’s fun watching opponents, especially those using control decks, try to play around Mindslicer, all the while taking four to the dome. For those games where you absolutely, positively want to piss off your opponent, you can Chainer’s Edict yourself when you’ve got Mindslicer in play.

But that’s not a bad thing…That…is a GOOD thing.

Besides, Mindslicer looks like a cross between the Terminator and the things from Aliens. Who wouldn’t want to beat down with that twisted hybrid.

Cards that interest me in Torment:

Chainer’s Edict
Circular Logic
Compulsion
Crackling Club
Dawn of the Dead
Devastating Dreams
Dwell on the Past
Far Wanderings
Fiery Temper
Grim Lavamancer
Insidious Dreams
Krosan Restorer
Liquify
Mortiphobia
Mutilate
Nantuko Shade
Narcissism
Nostalgic Dreams
Plagiarize
Possessed Aven
Reborn Hero
Sengir Vampire
Skullscorch
Strength of Lunacy
Teroh’s Vanguard
Vengeful Dreams
Violent Eruption

Lots of cards, lots of time to test.

Do not go softly into that Odyssey Block Constructed tournament. Rage, rage against the tournament.

Or stuff.