I’m so completely and utterly tired at the moment. No, tired isn’t the right word. More like “weary”. It’s been a rather hectic year for me. First off, I’m hospitalized for when I begin to cough up blood, and while I’m staying at the hospital for treatment, I’m given a drug that causes an allergic reaction, which in turn forces me to stay in said hospital for half a week more. That was the definite “annoying” point of the year. Then came the “amazing” part of the year (hell, the “amazing” part of my LIFE), which was my recent engagement to my longtime love interest Aimee. I still can’t believe that she accepted the proposal of a nearly burned out writer. In the last month or so, the “low” point of the year struck, with the number of writing assignments dropping (there was a recent influx of writers working freelance at the publishers that I deal with) and the number of bills rising. I guess that you can say that it’s been a rollercoaster year, although I’m not a big fan of that phrase myself.The year is almost over, though, and I have something to look forward to as a way to finish it out. No, not Christmas, as my personal experience with that particular holiday hasn’t been all that great. I don’t hate Christmas, mind you, I just have a hard time getting into the spirit. I’m talking about States. There are two tournaments that I never miss, and States is one of them (with Regionals being the other). Every year, some deck and/or player makes a statement that is heard around the Magic world, and I expect this year to be no different. There won’t be any recycled decks such as Replenish and SabreBargain to dominate the playing field, and only a VERY small percentage of last season’s decks live on in the new format of T2. Actually, only two, Rebel and Ponza, will exist in a form similar to what they last were seen as.
And, of course, we all have to bid a fond farewell to Masticore, the most influential T2 creature of all time.
Still, it doesn’t make any sense to get left in the past. Magic is all about progress. The only thing that we can do is suck it up and move ahead. Those who have reached the point where they consistently make Top 8 in large tournaments realize that planning for the metagame is a major key to success. For proof of this, take a look at what happened at Worlds this year. Jon Finkel won with a Tinker deck. Is this because Tinker was the most powerful deck in T2, or perhaps because he’s the mighty Jon Finkle? Of course not. Well, okay, that part about the Jon Finkle advantage might have had something to do with it, but Tinker was not the best deck out there. It was, however, the best metagame choice at the time. Worlds was full of Stompy, Angry Hermit/Son of Hermit, and five or six Ponza variants, all of which have a hard time with Tinker. It’s common knowledge that Accelerated Blue, Magpile, and SabreBargain beat Tinker, but those archetypes had been forced out of the metagame by the presence of the very decks that Tinker rolls over. Finkle and Bob Maher, Jr. realized this, and that’s how the mirror match in the finals came about.
That’s all well and good, but how do you prepare for a metagame that hasn’t been established yet? Hence the problem that deckbuilders will have at States. You can always look back at the MBC tournies for a rough idea of what to expect, but don’t make the mistake of assuming that all the decks you will face will be based around MBC. Invasion presents new and unique concepts to consider, and Sixth Edition brings in staple cards such as Pillage, Power Sink, Birds of Paradise, Exile, Terror, etc. Decks that had no chance of working in MBC (see some of the decks below) are now very real threats, and every MBC deck can be improved upon.
Through intense playtesting and hours of searching the internet, I’ve come up with a lose framework of what people will be playing. To help cut out the middleman for you, my fellow MOTLers, I’ve compiled what I feel will be the decks seeing the most play at States. This is by no means a complete list, as there is a LOT of crap going around, so be sure to do a little local scouting before the actual tournament. Remember, there isn’t an universal metagame.
Ponza
Is there any question that this will see play? Land destruction became a lot stronger, not because it gained a lot from the rotation, but because the slower T2 tempo allows Ponza to establish a lock easier. Hammer of Bogarden went from powerful to an absolute beast because of this. The direct damage offered by Shock, Seal of Fire, and Urza’s Rage is enough to make an opponent cry
The weaknesses are obvious. If an opponent drops an Island, the Ponza player must fear Teferi’s Response. Green has a potent weapon in the form of Harrow, which can go 3-for-1 against a Stone Rain or Pillage. Tsabo’s Web stops Rishadan Port and Dust Bowl. The original Red Mage theory once again applies: the fire can consume all, but a slight breeze may put the flame out. Play Ponza at your own risk, as everyone and their mother will be playing anti-Red sideboards.
I’ve seen both versions of Ponza being played (with and without Tectonic Instability), and the version without the Instability seems to have the higher win percentage. From what I’ve observed, it’s due to the fact that the Instability takes up a slot that is better filled with more LD or burn. Personally, I’d rather be running four Tectonic Breaks or even four Lightning Blasts than an enchantment that can easily be worked around. Tangle Wire should be enough in the tapping department, and it’s definitely a better all-around choice.
Dark Ponza
It’s also referred to as Red/Black Control, so don’t be surprised if you heard it referred to as such. Dark Ponza vs. Ponza…there’s no comparison whatsoever. Dark Ponza is superior in almost every way. The ability to effectively play eight Hammers, four in the form of Pyre Zombie, gives a lot of board control, and Void doesn’t hurt, either. From playtesting this very deck, I can tell you that Dark Ritual often isn’t needed.
Dark Ponza is mana intensive, though. After the usual Stone Rain/Pillage action to start out the game, it needs a rather hefty mana base to keep the momentum. After all, even though Pyre Zombie is being hyped up as broken, it can’t win games by itself, especially if you can’t recall and cast it on the same turn. Therefore, it is extremely vulnerable to Armageddon/Global Ruin. Armageddon will see a lot of play, so by default that makes Dark Ponza a risky choice. If you’re going to play the deck, I suggest that you play a pair of Tectonic Breaks and definitely Addle to slow down such as strategy.
Either that, or you could play the deck while you’re drunk, which actually improved the winning percentage for one of the people that I playtest with.
Blasto-Geddon
You know what? This deck plays exactly like the old Maro-Geddon deck, and I hated that deck. If your opponent gets a great creature into play, what can you do about it? Nothing. So don’t play Blasto-Geddon; play the next deck instead.
Son of Geddon
Ah, now this is more like it. This Green/White/Red deck is vastly superior to Blasto-Geddon, as it features what may be the strongest card in Standard today: Earthquake. The basic concept goes something like this: Blastoderm, Earthquake away all blockers, Armageddon. Quick, efficient, and even better, all too common. I’ve seen other versions running without the Armageddons, instead opting to run Tangle Wire.
Obviously, the name is a takeoff of Son of Hermit. That’s a good namesake, as both decks focus around stunting your opponent’s mana development long enough for you to win. I’ve been making some rather interesting advances in tech for this archetype, and I feel that a good player can take it all the way. Fallow Earth seems like an acceptable, although nowhere near spectacular, replacement for Plow Under, and Flameshot is an interesting addition with Arc Lightning gone.
I can’t say enough about Son of Geddon, and I’m not even playing it. This is the deck that I expect to see making it into T8s consistantly at the various States tournaments, and thus it’s only prudent to devote a portion of my sideboard to it. Obviously, it normally takes the offensive, but I was witness to a rather interesting game featuring Son of Geddon versus Rising Waters. Suddenly, SoG was playing a game of control, Earthquaking to keep Stinging Barriers and Waterfront Bouncers off the table and fending off the dreaded Rising Waters with Fallow Earths and Disenchants. It took nearly an hour for SoG to win with a single River Boa. The flexibility of the deck is amazing.
A single card can ruin the entire deck, though: Lobotomy.
Rising Waters
This is the only way that Blue Control will be able to exist. If you want to play the tried and true “Counter everything, beat you over the course of ninety turns” method, play this. Beyond that, this deck was analyzed over the MBC season, so nothing really new can be said about it. Just be sure to remember that Sixth allows you to use Sky Diamond and the underrated Desertion.
Rebel
Again, this deck was analyzed during MBC season, so there isn’t much more that can be said about it. Things to consider adding are Exile, Wrath of God/Armageddon, and Enlightened Tutor. Also, keep this in mind while you’re building the deck: Lin Sivvi is NOT a requirement for Rebel, and there are many times where a Rebel deck would be better off with out this Legend.
That’s the end…for now. Expect a part two, where I’ll go into the more roguish decks that are seeing play, such as Nether-Go and White Control. Until then, watch for The Tome in the near future, as well as the ballot for the MOTL Invitational (and expect a name change for it as well).
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posted October 23, 2000 08:10 AM
