Magic Origins has Landed

Magic Origins have been available on MTGO for a week or two and we are soon going to see its impact on Standard Pauper with the start of season 30.

Yesterday, we had 6 players "pre-season test event" so we could have a feel about the new cards. The field consisted of some unupdated Heroic decks and new lists for Golgari Delve, Mono Red Aggro and Esper Control. We are going take a look into these and other decks and how the new cards fit into the format.

First we are going to talk about a reprint. Celestial Flare was an auto include in almost every white deck when it was first legal. It is currently the most powerful answer to hexproof creatures, which are probably the best late game threats available in the format. But to be fair, those hexproof creatures don't see a huge amount of play in the top decks, usually being one or two-offs in blue based control decks, which rely much more on token generators to win the game. Anyway, Celestial Flare will still shine, specially against Heroic decks. While these decks can go wide and work around the Flare, they usually need to focus their protection on one creature and eventually need to make solo attacks. Their protection can't save them from this card which makes it the most valuable removal against them.

The most popular decks that can run it are the Boros Heroic and Tokens builds. It is very important in the Heroic mirror but it can also be used in control decks which always have a hard time beating a good Heroic hand. One such deck is the Jeskai Control deck I used to take over MPDC 29 Worlds. The card is an easy fit, even if it may require some changes to the mana base to support the double white cost.

Anyway, that deck is probably losing some of its strength with the new set. One of the key points of adding White to an Izzet Control shell was the ability to exile creatures, because Black decks with death triggers and graveyard recursion were beating Izzet more and more in the end of the season. Those black decks are also getting new tools and one of them allows the black mage to dodge exiling effects while gaining extra value on doing so.

An "almost" functional reprint of Nantuko Husk was available at the same time as Celestial Flare in the past formats, in the shape of Blood Bairn. That card saw very little play and usually failed to deliver the goods. But I strongly believe this is a better time for it to be powerful now. First, as mentioned above, its sacrifice ability allows the black mage to dodge exiling effects and even gain some value from death triggers or simply the +2/+2 boost. Second, one of the best death triggers in the format comes from Dutiful Attendant. This means you can, for instance, sacrifice a Gray Merchant of Asphodel, then sacrifice a Dutiful Attendant, and bring back the Merchant to your hand. You will lose one point of devotion in the process, but this can very well win you the game. The Husk is very versatile and it can be more skill intensive depending on the match up, but it is an welcome addition to this format. Having tried his cousin Bloodflow Connoisseur in the awesome MagicGatheringStrat Extended Pauper Community League, I'm pretty sure it will bring the black based Exploit decks definitively to the top.

I even had a test match against Ammaremontoas, one of the main players of black decks in the format. His build was updated with the Husk and other cards like Reave Soul and it felt very very strong. He crushed me really easily. I don't have this list, but this is how I'd update the Mono Black Exploit deck. That said, I think a Dimir build may be even more powerful.

Undead Servant is probably the common with most raw power in the new set. Self milling decks have been popping in Standard Pauper constantly in the last couple of years and this card may be good enough to make them real this time. I already had the pleasure of casting it for full value (creating three zombie tokens at once) but even if you only have one of them in the graveyard, it feels good. Delve decks usually put a lot of pressure in the opponent with their giant, undercosted beaters and the Servant can also add resilience, specially against control, since the opponent won't be able to deal with them with only one card. Even if they do deal with it, chances are high that the next Servant will be even more powerful. And many many times it will be an excellent topdeck in the late game. The first build that comes to mind is the Golgari Delve one. Green has the best self mill tools and has also payoff in the form of Hooting Mandrills and even the fight spells that reward you for playing Delve creatures. If you add Elvish Mystic to your deck is not unreasonable to finish turn 4 with a 4/4 trampler, a 5/5, a 3/2 and one or two 2/2 tokens. Dimir, Sultai or Jund builds are also possible. Blue has it own suite of self mill spells and payoff spells, while red is ferocious for fatties (Temur Battle Rage and Barrage of Boulders come to mind).

I'm pretty sure other people agree with me. Thunderous brought his Golgari deck to a testing session last Sunday and in the same day I could watch Davbricar playing a very similar deck. I have my own build which is a bit different. I don't play that many Delve creatures, with more removal and disruption instead. But I can see the value of playing more beatdown like Thunderous build (which you can see bellow) or more mill like Davbricar, who was playing Scout the Borders in addition to Satyr Wayfinder and Commune with the Gods.

While testing for the Extended Pauper league, I built a Mono Red aggro deck (something I usually don't play) to get a feeling for the format speed. One of the stand out cards was Mage-Ring Bully. RDW is already very powerful and fast and the Bully enables some ridiculous turns. His downside of attacking every turn becomes a trap for the opponent in a deck so full of combat tricks and either blocking it or leaving it alone may be dangerous moves.

Another card that looks solid is Infectious Bloodlust. This card is reminiscent of Rancor. Of course it is nowhere near the power level of the green enchantment, but anyway it can keep the red game flowing, which is usually the main problem when the opponent is able to deal with the red creatures.

During MPDC Worlds I was specially impressed about JogandoPelado's red deck and the way he played it. It was a scary deck, capable of strong come backs (something red usually lacks) and huge amounts of damage out of nowhere. During last week we played a practice match and his updated build with the Bully proved my points. This is definitively a card that will leave its mark in Standard Pauper. Again, I don't have his list, but it is probably something like that:

My girl Auramancer is back, but without Ethereal Armor, Stab Wound and Quag Sickness she won't be that powerful this time. Still, her absence made one of the most powerful cards in the format: Font of Return, become underplayed. With her return, I believe the Font will become popular outside of Mono Black decks again, probably in some sort of Orzhov Devotion or Esper Control deck. Suddenly, some fringe cards like Font of Fortunes and Debilitating Injury become better, and the solid Constellation deck may get a way to improve its results with additional sinergy.

I'm initially interested in playing an Esper Control deck based around the Auramancer. My list is still pretty sub-optimal, but already showed strenght in the tests, specially when I get to loop Fonts with the Mancer. It packs a lot of draw, removal and recursion. Some card choices were really strange and the deck lacked consistency (a common theme on my decks. Here is a tip when you are brewing: don't be like me. Don't try to add too many different cards. There's a reason why four copies of cards in decks are popular).

Other cards

White

Ampryn Tactician is a little expensive for the token decks, but he survives board wipes and has good stats for the tokens deck. I can see people trying him in the main deck and sideboard. But I wouldn't auto include him anywhere.

Stalwart Aven doesn't look that exciting, but it is a good early blocker and a cheap threat for control decks.

Grasp of the Hieromancer is probably better than people give it credit. Glaring Aegis sees a small amount of play and I think the Grasp can be much much better.

Honorable Mentions: Topan Freeblade, Suppression Bonds

Blue

Artificer's Epiphany has the potential to be an instant speed Divination, which is great. But artifacts are not that good in Standard Pauper and even if you have some of them in your deck, you may not be casting this for full value most of the time. This doesn't make it a bad spell, but it may present you the need of comparing it with Tormenting Voice, Anticipate, Divination and Weave Fate to choose if it's really worth running the new card. And of course you can go creative and make the discard drawback useful.

Bone to Ash is much more reasonable to cast than Contradict, while much less powerful. This kind of effect can be really powerful and I think a deck like 25 lands Grixis Control deck may like it.

Calculated Dismissal can be very bad sometimes, but if you ever cast a successful Condescend you know how good it feels.

Aspiring Aeronaut may be useful if a Thopter deck becomes viable (don't hold your breath). Still, not a bad card as one or two in 75 for Izzet Control.

Disperse if back and it is still good. Bounce that Aqueous Form before choosing blockers and be happy.

Send to Sleep is a good fog most of the time. If your deck would like a fog effect, it will like it.

Honorable Mentions: Separatist Voidmage, Scrapskin Drake

Red

Boggart Brute costs too much, but getting free attacks is one of the red biggest triumph.

Chandra's Fury looks very bad, but if you ever cast it you know how good it feels.

Fiery Impulse doesn't hit the opponent neither exile creatures, but being able to kill 3 toughness creatures with only one mana is extremely good.

Giraphur Gearcrafter is the red Sandsteppe Outcast. Since the deck the usually plays the Outcast also plays red, it may be really easy to include. It all depends on how much you want more than 4 copies of this effect, how much your mana base leans towards one color or another and how well this card compares to the other 3 mana "gain a token" card: Hardu Hordechief.

Honorable Mentions: Subterranean Scout, Smash to Smithereens

Green

Elvish Visionary is back. It may not look that great in the current pool, but it is an eternal decent card for midrange decks that play green.

Might of the Masses is back too. It's playablity depends on the amount of removal you face, but some copies may find a place alongside Aspect of the Hydra and Titanic Growth.

Reclaim is always a trap. The closest you will get from a Vampiric Tutor in Standard Pauper doesn't have enough powerful targets to justify the card disadvantage it provides. Still, in the right moment it can win games.

Rhox Maulers looks like a lot of cards that failed in the recent years in green. And the lacks a bit when compared to the competition of Hooting Mandrils and Sandsteppe Elk Herd. Anyway, it has the potential of being a 6/6 trampler for five mana, which is not bad.

Honorable Mentions: Aerial Volley, Leaf Gilder, Llanowar Empath, Nissa's Pilgrimage, Pharika's Disciple

Black

Eyeblight Assassin is effectively a 2 for 1 against many decks in the format. Against others it is completely useless.

Macabre Waltz fits in a number of graveyard based strategies. While not as powerful as Font of Return, it is very cheap for its effect and the drawback can usually setup further graveyard interactions.

We already mentioned Reave Soul. It is a fine piece of removal for black. It pales really badly against former black removal spells like Devour Flesh, Doom Blade and Victim of Night, but in the current pool it is good. Being sorcery is a big letdown, but it is cheap and it deals and a good amount of creatures. But keep in mind that combat tricks that enhance creature power are very popular, and they will make the use of this card a little tricky.

Honorable mentions: Deathbridge Shaman, Fetid Imp, Infernal Scarring, Shambling Ghoul

Artifact

Bonded Construct might fit into a very aggressive deck. Something like RDW or Boros Tokens.

Veteran's Sidearm is no Leonin Scimitar. Still, it can help creatures fight big creatures, make little flyers better beaters, and put creatures out of Lightning Strike range.

Honorable Mentions: Alchemist's Vial


That's all for now. If you want a more complete analysis of the new set, go to gwyned's Magic Origins review series or watch The MagicGatheringStrat Show set reviews here and here.

Update: There's a new set review by DrChrisBakerDC. Check it out, it is great!

What cards do you think will have the biggest impact on the format?

I see you next time. Until there, have a good one!

rremedio
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