Standard

Dominiara United Boros Aggro Standard B01 deck

/ Jerome / Leave a comment

Rotation has arrived to MTG Arena. While we welcome Dominaria United, we must also say goodbye to Zendikar Rising, Kaldheim (and its awesome giants!), Strixhaven: School of Mages and Adventures in the Forgotten Realms.

With the rotation, a large number of cards are dropping out of Standard. Many of the decks that dominated the competition are going to either have to replace some cards with new ones or may even drop out of favour without suitable alternatives.

One deck that I enjoyed playing was the Boros Aggro deck that rose to become an Arena favourite in early summer. Needless to say, rotation meant the loss of a number of cards but I found it relatively easy to rework with new Dominaria cards (the same cannot be said for my WB Clerics deck and Noah mocked my first attempt but that’s a story for a different time).

Here is the Boros Aggro deck that I’ve begun to play with in Standard B01 (Updated 9/9 – See at end for more on the changes):

Creatures

  • 2 Intrepid Adversary (MID) 25
  • 4 Bloodthirsty Adversary (MID) 129
  • 4 Brutal Cathar (MID) 7
  • 4 Hopeful Initiate (VOW) 20
  • 4 Kumano Faces Kakkazan (NEO) 152
  • 3 Shivan Devastator (DMU) 143
  • 4 Sunrise Cavalier (MID) 244
  • 4 Thundering Raiju (NEO) 166

Spells

  • 4 Lightning Strike (XLN) 149
  • 4 Play with Fire (MID) 154

Lands

  • 1 Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire (NEO) 268
  • 7 Mountain (SNC) 269
  • 6 Plains (SNC) 263
  • 1 Sokenzan, Crucible of Defiance (NEO) 276
  • 4 Sundown Pass (VOW) 266
  • 4 Wind-Scarred Crag (NEO) 282

It is early days but initial indications is that the deck plays much as it did before. The biggest change is the addition of a Shivan Devastator, a useful card to help smooth out the mana curve thanks to its flexible cost. Lightning Bolt took over burn duties from Roil Eruption.

On the creature side, the biggest loss is the stellar Luminarch Aspirant. For now, I’ve replaced the set with Intrepid Adversary but I expect that I could remove one or two in favour of additional Shivan Devastators if the new card’s promise holds up.

Shivan Devastator

On the land side, I expect that the loss of the modal Pathway lands. For now, I’ve replaced them with 4 Wind-scarred Crags. Two Den of the Bugbear made way for a basic Mountain and a Sundown Pass. This will likely slow the deck down but how much remains to be seen.

If you managed to adjust your older Standard B01 Boros deck for rotation, what changes did you make? Let us know below.

Update (9/9): Since I posted the deck list, I have made two adjustments:

  • I removed the 2 Angelfire Ignition and 2 Intrepid Adversaries in favour of 2 additional Shivan Devastators, 1 Bloodthirsty Adversary and 1 Lightning Strike. The Shivan Devastators work nicely across the curve while the Bloodthirsty Adversary’s haste feels more potent than the potential for counters later in the game. Finally, Lightning Strike is simply good removal.
  • I added the 6 Plains I forgot to add in the first post.

Boros Angels for Streets of New Capenna B01 Standard

/ Jerome / Leave a comment

When the Streets of New Capenna set was first spoiled, one of the cards I knew I would want as Giada, Font of Hope. I was able to trade for one with Noah after our traditional box opening.

I knew that it would find a home in my Kaalia of the Vast Commander deck. I also started playing with Angels in Arena (like many others). Whereas most have gone in an Orzhov or Esper direction, I instead went in the Boros direction.

Red allowed me to add Blade Historian to deliver a solid punch and Fable of the Mirror-Breaker, a card that I have enjoyed playing with ever since I pulled it in a Kamigawa draft at Face to Face.

The original version of the deck also included Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, but I removed it to enhance my removal (excuse the very bad pun) and combat tricks. I opted for Torch Breath over cheaper removal options because of its flexibility. As the game progresses and bigger creatures appear, it has proven to be quite helpful where cheaper spells would simply not be enough. Angelfire Ignition is also a fun little card to throw down before an attack.

Here is the deck as it stands today:

Deck

  • 4 Youthful Valkyrie (KHM) 382
  • 1 Resplendent Marshal (KHM) 22
  • 4 Righteous Valkyrie (KHM) 24
  • 3 Starnheim Aspirant (KHM) 380
  • 1 Legion Angel (ZNR) 23
  • 3 Giada, Font of Hope (SNC) 14
  • 2 Valkyrie Harbinger (KHM) 374
  • 2 Portable Hole (AFR) 33
  • 2 Fable of the Mirror-Breaker (NEO) 141
  • 3 Fateful Absence (MID) 18
  • 4 Valorous Stance (VOW) 42
  • 2 Inspiring Overseer (SNC) 18
  • 3 Blade Historian (STX) 165
  • 2 Torch Breath (SNC) 127
  • 2 Angelfire Ignition (MID) 209
  • 12 Plains (SNC) 263
  • 4 Needleverge Pathway (ZNR) 263
  • 2 Cave of the Frost Dragon (AFR) 253
  • 2 Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire (NEO) 268
  • 2 Sundown Pass (VOW) 266

Sideboard

  • 3 Legion Angel (ZNR) 23

As for next steps, the deck currently sits at 7-2 and helped cross into Platinum. Finally, I might add. It will be interesting to see how it fares in this higher tier and I’m already wondering if Portable Hole and Valorous Stance are going to find themselves in the trade zone. The only question is, what would replace them?

Amber: Where old Standard decks live on

/ Jerome / Leave a comment

Leaving aside for a moment the question of whether Standard is a good play format or not, what happens to all those old decks when rotation occurs? Are they packed off to a dark and musty box to be mocked by the chaff and bulk cards that never even made it into a standard deck? Are they unceremoniously unsleeved and shipped off to the local game store to be traded in for pennies on the dollar for the shiny and new top Standard cards? Did they do enough to earn a special spot next to other favourite decks and to trigger a happy memory every once in a while?

A happier fate could be looming on the horizon for at least some of those decks. A recent post on the MagicTCG subreddit proposes a new format specifically for those old Standard decks that are no longer so standard. Proposed by DefCat (aka Jay Natale), the format called Amber is described as a casual format meant “for people to take their favorite old standard deck and play it against other previously standard legal magic, the gathering decks.”

Looking up the best deck or finding the best possible block to play is discouraged. This is merely a way to play an old deck that rotated out and still have reasonable amounts of fun. Overtime, you will collect many of these decks and be able to have tons to play from with your group of friends.

While the idea of re-using old Standard decks is not new and has existed for a long time at many game tables across the world (many even called it Bring Your Own Standard), this is the first time that I think the format has been somewhat formalized with a basic set of rules.

There is nothing over the top but it does provide guidelines that are more than enough for a casual format. And there is nothing preventing individual groups from refining them further for their own purposes.

The rules:

  • Deck construction:
    • A minimum of 60 cards with no more than 4 of each card besides basic lands
    • Card pool consists of a block of EIGHT standard legal sets that were once a full block. Examples:
      • Sets from Throne of Eldraine to Adventures in the Forgotten Realms (Standard before the September 2021 rotation)
      • Sets from Ixalan to Core Set 2020
      • Sets from Innistrad to Core Set 2014 (September 2013 rotation)
    • Optional sideboard of up to 15 cards with maximum of 4 of each card
  • Ban List
    • Casual play – None
    • Competitive play – Any card that was once banned in standard (eg, Oko, Thief of Crowns, in 2019, Stoneforge Mystic in 2011 or Tolarian Academy all the way back in 1998)

Best of all, Standard rotations will ensure that there is a regular influx of new decks into the format.

As for me, I’m going to suggest this to the boys and to our LGS and see if perhaps Amber can find a spot on the event calendar, perhaps replacing the Standard events that have disappeared due to low turnouts.

And just maybe there will be fewer mournful looks every September now when rotation comes around!

Source: Reddit