Standard B01: Maybe Crime Does Not Pay?

June 23, 2024June 23, 2024 / Jerome

Standard B01: Does Crime Pay?

June 16, 2024 / Jerome / Leave a comment

My go-to decks in Standard B01 currently are a Red Prowess deck and a Selesnya Enchantment deck. The former is something I picked up a while back based on the meta. The latter is one that I have been playing for a while and enjoy playing.

It’s time for a little variety. While I do play a few other decks in other formats, I decided to build a new one focused on the new Commit a Crime mechanic introduced in Outlaws of Thunder Junction for Standard B01.

Commit a crime is well represented across Blue, Black, Red and Green. It’s no big surprise that there is only one White card using the mechanic. For my first build, I decided to go with a mono-Black build focused around Tinybones, Vadmir, New Blood, Kaervek, the Punisher and Gisa, the Hellraiser.

From there, I added a few additional cards that should complement these nicely. Among these are Tinybones, the Pickpocket, Gix, Yawgmoth Praetor and Aclazotz, Deepest Betrayal. I also threw in Sheoldred, the Apocalypse (which is almost an auto-include in Black decks these days).

From there, I filled out the deck with cards to go and commit crimes. It’s the usual mix of removal spells and others that target my opponent.

Deck

2 Tinybones Joins Up (OTJ) 108
2 Tinybones, the Pickpocket (OTJ) 109
2 Cut Down (DMU) 89
4 Deep-Cavern Bat (LCI) 102
3 Vadmir, New Blood (OTJ) 113
2 Kaervek, the Punisher (OTJ) 92
2 Gisa, the Hellraiser (OTJ) 89
3 Gix, Yawgmoth Praetor (BRO) 95
2 Aclazotz, Deepest Betrayal (LCI) 88
3 Sheoldred, the Apocalypse (DMU) 107
2 Gix’s Command (BRO) 97
2 Infernal Grasp (MID) 107
3 Bitter Triumph (LCI) 91
2 March of Wretched Sorrow (NEO) 111
2 Liliana of the Veil (DMU) 97

Lands

2 Demolition Field (BRO) 260
2 Mirrex (ONE) 254
2 Takenuma, Abandoned Mire (NEO) 278
18 Swamp (MH3) 315

I have played 10 games in Standard Play to get a sense of how the deck works. I won 7 times (70% win rate) so far. A good start but it’s time to take it to Ranked and see how it fares against the top decks in the meta.

In the meantime, a few observations from those first 10 games:

The deck feels a little top-heavy with 9 cards costing 4 or more mana. I may lighten it up a bit, perhaps with Preacher of the Schism.
Aclazotz is a great card. It is one of those that needs to be removed quickly or it can put the game away. I don’t like playing against it but I sure do like watch it resolve.
I may add one or two more Instant or Sorcery spells and cut the corresponding number of creatures (21 at the moment).
I might look to make it a Dimir deck to give me a few spell options. On the creature side, perhaps Lazav, Familiar Stranger or Nimble Brigand. Both cost 3 mana and could help with my first point above.

Anyone else playing a Commit a Crime deck? How is it going ?

Easy come, easy go for the monkeys!

April 14, 2024April 14, 2024 / Jerome / Leave a comment

It was Outlaws of Thunder Junction pre-release time yesterday. As per tradition, we headed off to play at Face to Face (no more pre-releases in the North now that North of Exile has permanently closed). Christian went 2-1 with a bye while Noah and I went 1-2 but we did have fun as usual. Maybe a story for another time but Noah was somewhat annoyed when one of the players he faced did not want to split the two packs as most people do (especially as he lost).

Christian also took the opportunity to sell a few cards as he is building a new Commander deck who will be fronted by Rakdos, the Muscle. Definitely a Commander suited for the type of games that he likes with his ability to sacrifice another creature to go exile cards equal to its mana value from the top of target player’s library so that you can play them until your next end step.

Unfortunately for him, he did not pull Rakdos, the Muscle at the pre-release or from the box that we always crack open. But it so happens that Noah did, even pulling the Showcase version. I expect that there will be some intense negotiations in the next few days.

To build up his deck, Christian sold some cards while at F2F. Among them were two monkey pirates that caused some grief about a year ago. Yes, Christian sold his two Ragavan, Nimble Pilferers! He got a price that he was satisfied with as well. And with the way WOTC seems to be reprinting most good cards with wild abandon, I expect that the price may continue to drop as it reappears in some future sets (perhaps in Modern Horizons 3 later this summer?).

I’ve always told the boys that these are their cards and that they can do what they want with them. This is even more relevant now that one of them is an adult. But I wish he had said he would sell them and given Noah a chance to get his hands on one after last year’s drama.

Noah now has a part-time job and could easily have either traded some other cards for one or bought it off his brother. Fortunately, time has rubbed some of the sting out and Noah did not look too upset to hear that the monkeys had left the building.

Especially after the Curse of the Box Opening turned to Christian this time around. While Noah pulled seven Mythics and I another five, Christian only pulled two. I pulled what is at the moment the most valuable, a Terror the Peaks (my second as I also have the one from Core Set 2021. Almost enough to take the sting out of the fact that there are no Clerics in this set.

Anyways, all this to basically say that the monkeys came, they spent a bit of time with us and have now left for some new adventures. They leave behind a very angry-looking Demon Mercenary that I do not look forward to facing in one of our future Commander games.

Standard B01 Orzhov Cleric Typal in Outlaws of Thunder Junction

April 4, 2024 / Jerome / Leave a comment

This will be a very short installment in our Standard B01 Orzhov Cleric Typal adventure. While with a new set comes the promise of new cards and hopefully a strong deck, this latest set fails to deliver. Why? you ask. Well, simply put, there are no Clerics in Thunder Junction. Nary a one! Not even one! But it still finds room for squirrels? Don’t believe me? Have a look at Scryfall and see for yourself.

I’ll take a look at other cards that could slot into the deck to work alongside the clerics. Maybe I should look at the new Saddle mechanic. Can you imagine the fear when a Cleric mounted on a Bounding Felidar, a Bridled Bighorn or a Caustic Bronco comes riding at their opponent?