RCQ Win Recap: Waste Not Updates & RC Prep

Recapping My RCQ Win This Past Weekend, Going Over Updates to Waste Not, and What's Next as I Prepare for the RC in Washington DC!

Discover how I won the RCQ, updated my Waste Not deck, and am preparing for the Regional Championship in DC. Get insights and tips!

I finally did it. I won a RCQ to qualify for The Regional Championship at SCG Con in Washinton DC this October. The entire situation is still kind of surreal to me, and I feel like I still shouldn't have won. Luck was on my side that day, and I'll take the win. I played really well, but still not perfectly. I've been telling people that I didn't make any mistakes that were costly enough to make me lose - but I definitely made mistakes. This will be part of my gameplay improving process as I prepare for the RC in DC in October, as the competition will likely be much less forgiving. I used an updated list of the Waste Not Deck that I previously did an article for, and the deck is feeling incredible. The list is pretty much set in stone for now, and the only changes I would make would be based on card availability. I would like to add one more Sunken Citadel to the main deck, and one more Ashiok to the sideboard. Today, I'll go over my Top 8 matchups particularly, and I will examine some game play, and how I managed to beat a couple of decks I maybe shouldn't have been able to beat.

Total Cards:

Top 8 Gameplay

In the quarterfinals, I played against Gruul Prowess. This was a pretty good matchup for me, given the fact that deck has tons of spot removal, and multiple edict effects that can play around their protection spells. I also had to hope that I didn't draw three Thoughtseize. In game one, I was able to deal with their creatures, and they honestly didn't pop off too much with buffing their creatures to the point where I was too concerned with my life total. I was able to resolve a Sheoldred, the Apocalypse on curve, and it basically felt like I took over the game after that. In game two, I definitely fell behind due to them having a Lovestruck Beast that was basically eating up any creature that I threw in front of it. I did not resolve a Sheoldred this game, and ended up losing. In game three, it was very similar to game one where I dealt with their early creatures, and then resolved a Sheoldred on curve, then the opponent ended up conceding as I took over the game, and they were top decking. Biggest takeaway from this matchup: Keep a Sheoldred on the board for long enough, and you will win a lot of games.

In the semifinals, I played against a cheeky combo deck that I had lost to at a previous RCQ. I knew what to play around, having lost to it before, so I knew when to leave up mana, and what cards to worry about. I won the first game because their deck revolves around using Agatha's Soul Cauldron to give a creature the ability to make infinite mana with Grinning Ignus, then venture into the dungeon enough to drain my life total to zero. Thankfully in game one, the opponent did not find their Cauldron, and I was able to beat them down with a Sheoldred, and a Hostile Investigator and we went to game two. For game two, I boarded in Cling to Dust, and Unlicensed Hearse. I also brought in an Ashiok. Our main focus here was graveyard hate - especially at instant speed. In game two, the opponent was able to find a Cauldron, then really make the game go on for a long time because they were able to continually recast creatures from the grave with Emry. This allowed them to have a chump blocker every time, and gain life when Haywire Mite left the battlefield. Thankfully, I had a Hostile Investigator and a Sheoldred on the board for the majority of this game again, and the Sheoldred staying on the board proved to be too much. This one was a little tougher, however, because they found two Grinning Ignus, so I had to constantly hold up mana for Cling to Dust. This definitely caused me to take off a lot of turns, and we kind of ended up in this game of chicken where we were waiting until I had an extra four mana to escape Cling to Dust from my graveyard before I could cast any other spells. Equally, I ended up having to Thoughtseize a Duress out of my own hand because the opponent started off turn zero with a Leyline of Sanctity. That was another reason that this game went forever. I ended up winning with Sheoldred triggers, as my opponent could no longer maintain enough life gain to outpace my pressure. I did this all off of a mulligan to five. I almost just scooped after being on five cards and seing the Leyline, but I didn't want to give up a free win, so I played it out, and I was glad that I did!

In the finals, I played against a friend who was playing Niv to Light. That deck is supposed to have a good matchup against me, and the removal that it has is virtually perfect. It is one of the few decks in the format that can amass more value than mine, and somehow I was able to win, but it did take all three games this time. I also beat them in round two of the event, so I went into the finals thinking that there was NO way that I beat Niv twice in the same day, but I wasn't going to fold just because of the odds not being in my favor. Game one we were able to keep the opponent top decking, and get a good bit of value from Waste Not. Kaervek, The Punisher also allowed us to re-cast many spells from our grave that kept their hand empty, and board clean. This allowed me to keep a Sheoldred on the board with Kaervek, and they were able to be the beat down that we needed to win game one. In game two, it was a little different. The opponent was able to cast Bring to Light and resolve a Tybalt, then take our Sheoldred. This is something that usually means it's the end, and it effectively was. I wasn't able to gain enough of an advantage on the draw in this game. In game three, it was more similar to game one, but the opponent had some better top decks that caused the game to go longer. I had a Sheoldred on the board for a while, but what ultimately won it for me was chaining two Invoke Despairs off of the draws that the first one got me. The opponent not having a way to attack my hand allowed me to resolve the spell on consecutive turns, and since the opponent did not have a Tybalt on the board as a planeswalker to sacrifice, I was able to win. For this matchup, I brought in both Invoke Despair, a Blot Out, and traded a Thoughtseize for a Duress. I also brough in Ashiok, because one of their Niv creatures allow them to cast spells from the grave, not to mention it also shuts off Bring to Light. While I was incredibly fortunate to draw well and get the wins that I did, I do believe that I played well overall, and that I played to my outs, which is just about all we can do as players.

Cards that Shined

Magic the Gathering Card - Hostile Investigator - MTG Circle

This card is an absolute powerhouse in both pioneer and standard. It provides so much value. Who would have thought that a three for one would be a good magic card???

Magic the Gathering Card - Sheoldred, the Apocalypse - MTG Circle

As I stated Earlier in the article, keeping a Sheoldred on the board for long enough is enough to win games, and in this tournament, it was what I needed to have on the board at the right time to be a huge difference-maker in my matchups.

Magic the Gathering Card - Invoke Despair - MTG Circle

If you have followed me as a creator for long enough, you know that this is my favorite card. It is an absolute bomb, and the fact that it is even good in an eternal format just shows how relevant it is, and how scared of it people are. The deck only allows me to play it in the sideboard, however, and it is admittedly not good in every matchup.

Obviously, cards like Waste Not, Go Blank, and Liliana of the Veil were good, but these are staples in the Waste Not deck, so they are expected to perform well.

This is the first major tournament I have ever won, and I hope it to be the first of many. Thank you to those who have followed me along this journey, and this recap, and I will catch you next time!

Rate this article

I am a Magic The Gathering competitive player, and streamer. I specialize in homebrew decks. My favorite formats are: Standard, Pioneer (Explorer on Arena), and EDH. I first started playing MTG in 2001, and have played on and off since then.

numb_skull_

Check out more content by Numbskull

Explore the highs and lows of MTG 2024, from format shakeups to standout cards and controversies. Discover key changes in Standard and more.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Recapping MTG in 2024

2024 was a huge year for MTG. It was a lot of things. Controversial, exciting, frustrating, promising, and refreshed. We saw some formats get ruined, then fixed, then ruined again. We saw some great changes to Standard that not everyone was fans of at first, but they seemed to quickly warm up to them. We saw Wizards effectively abandon a format in favor of propelling Standard into a more prominent position. We saw some great cards printed for Standard, and some promising things to come in the next year that were announced. Along with that, a fair amount of people were still bothered by the new trajectory of the format. Some are calling into question the longevity of MTG now with the heavy lean into Universes Beyond. A little bit of everything happened this year in the MTG world, and it was interesting if nothing else. On a personal level, it was also a hell of a year for me, as I took down two different events and grew a lot as a player. We are going to look at The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly from this year! The Good I have to admit, I'm pretty excited that we have an infinite gain and drain combo in Standard right now. With Enduring Tenacity and Bloodthirsty Conqueror having made a lot of my dreams come true in my favorite format. Although the deck isn't the most viable in the format, it is incredibly fun to play, and I'm just happy that we had such exciting cards printed in the format. It leads to good card design going forward, and gives us promise for what's to come in the next year.

Want to WIN Games in Standard? Play These Cards!

People often discuss win rates when cards are included in a deck, or maybe win rates if a card is drawn during a game. There is even something to take from the percentage of decks a card appears in. Sure, we can say x and y are good cards to put in your deck, but what cards are truly the best? Which ones give you the best chance of winning a game after you cast them? We are going to look at those cards today. We are effectively examining the biggest bombs in the format. There is still a concept of not relying on one card to win the game, and using synergies to win. I get it. I would invite you to consider, however, even if you do not plan to play any of these cards, you should definitely be aware of what is a bomb that needs your attention in the format. Without further ado, let's check out the bombs in Standard, and see how insane their win rates are. Standard Cards with Highest Win Rate (When Cast) Note that this statistic is simply if the card was cast from someone's hand. It does not look at whether or not the spell was resolved. I think this has bearing on the outcome of the game as well. If it gets countered or removed, we know it is also that much more important. This is why I believe looking at win rate when cast is the best metric for the biggest threats.

This Deck is Giving Everyone PROBLEMS in Pioneer

This is starting to feel like déjà vu. Remember the last time a Rakdos Deck was extremely powerful and the most popular deck in Pioneer? Interestingly enough, it is another midrange shell with a powerful combo. What's different this time, however, is that the cards are a lot more fair. This list is a little bit more well-balanced in my opinion. There is no broken turn three "deal with a Veinripper or lose" in this deck. It simply uses all of the best midrange value cards so well and with such synergy that most decks in the format cannot keep up. Nothing in the deck really feels broken to the point where you could pick out what card to ban. A lot of the cards that are good in the deck are played in other decks, so bans could have adverse effects that aren't good for the format. Nonetheless, the meta will either have to adapt to it, or we will need to see some new cards printed that make another deck good, or there will possibly end up being a ban. Rakdos Demons currently takes up 46% of the metashare, and it has plenty of top finishes in every tournament that it's in. To put things in perspective, the next closest deck in the format when it comes to metashare popularity is a few decks that have 6%. Rakdos Demons has consumed the format, and it would be hard to find someone who would tell you that it isn't the best deck. What's nice about it is that it is also playable on Arena, and because of Pioneer Masters, we aren't even missing any cards. You can jam this on MTGO, or Arena, or in paper. Either way you spin it, this deck kills! What I find interesting about how this deck has developed is that the list only plays two actual demon spells now. We have moved past the other demons that were in the list that could make things a bit clunky. Now, the deck is much faster. It has a lot of plays on turns two and three, and plays threats on those turns that demand answers, as opposed to dropping bombs on turn four. This deck oddly enough, only has 2 four mana spells. It's astonishing how much the list has evolved, and also how aggressive it has become with the tweaks. You've likely seen a few of these lists floating around, as it has been a deck for a few months now, so I will go over a couple of cards that have been added to it recently that contribute to the aggressive nature of the deck. New Additions

It's Official, We've Lived Long Enough to See Ourselves Become the Villain. Time for Mono Black Discard

There comes a time in every Magic player's tenure where they are simply fed up with everything that they are seeing in the meta. Some move to playing decks that remove everything, or decks that counter everything - sometimes both. Some of us simply don't let our opponents have any cards in hand, and that's what I've opted to do today. There's something that just feels right about making the opponent have zero cards in their hand while we continue to draw and play threats onto the board. Discard went well in the meta a few months ago before Duskmourn came out, and I think it is possible for it to be good again. The win rate so far with our deck is solid, but it is different from the one we played before. This time we are looking to add some card superiority into the list, and the same card that accomplishes that allows us to play fewer creatures to focus on more discard spells, and efficient removal. Let's take a look at the new discard deck in the Foundations Meta. This deck got a little bit more consistency and some extra win conditions from Duskmourn, and it is refreshing to know that we have more threats to draw, and we now have a higher likelihood of drawing them. We want to try and draw as many cards as we can with this deck, because some of the better lists that are out there will also draw a ton of cards. We look to punish our opponent for drawing cards, and for not having cards in their hand. We also look to benefit from drawing cards while punishing our opponent simultaneously. The list has a ton of removal, because frankly there are some cards that are just too difficult to deal with in Standard and I got sick of waiting to sideboard and hoping that I drew the answers. We will go over the key changes from previous versions, and then we will go over the sideboard guide! New Additions to Mono Black Discard

Checking in on MTG Modern After the Recent Bans (and Unbans)

We are almost two weeks out from the recent bans in Modern, and there is now enough data to see if anything has really changed. Banning cards like The One Ring and Amped Raptor was an attempt to level the playing field in a format where it seemed as if it was difficult to win if you didn't play those cards. Both cards were two of the most popularly played nonland cards, and it was getting to the point where player sentiment about the format was increasingly poor. Wizards knew that they had to do something, and they also needed to do something that kept things interesting after banning two powerful cards. To keep things fresh, Wizards also unbanned Splinter Twin, Green Sun's Zenith, Mox Opal, and Faithless Looting. This seems to be somewhat reasonable so far. All of the cards light up different archetypes, and this was a clear effort to breathe life into the format. Now that Wizards has made their intentions clear on what they wanted to see out of the format, it begs the question: Has anything actually changed? Most Popular Cards in the Format Post-Bans Although it is refreshing to not see The One Ring as the most commonly played card in the format, there are still some of the usual suspects that round out the top ten most played nonland cards. Long story short, the energy decks are still the most popular, and the cards that are staples within the lists unsurprisingly are the most commonly played nonland cards in the format. Oddly enough, it appears that Mardu Energy has now become more popular than Boros Energy, which is an interesting shift.

A Product Change is Coming to Play Booster Boxes, and People are NOT Happy

Although we are still getting used to the new cards brought to us by Foundations, we have begun to get announcements about the next Standard-legal set, Aetherdrift. Aetherdrift will be the first set to come out in 2025, and it will also be the first Universes Beyond Standard-legal set. For those who aren't familiar, Universes Beyond sets are the ones that do not exclusively involve the traditional MTG characters and planes, although they can still be incorporated. What they do for the characters in the Universes Beyond sets is to have somewhat of a crossover between MTG and another universe in popular culture. We have seen them do Lord of the Rings, Assassin's Creed, etc. What is unique about the Universes Beyond sets going forward is that they will now be Standard-legal - something that has not been the case up until now. In fact, almost all of the Universes Beyond sets were strictly Commander, Legacy, and Vintage-legal up until now, with the exception of Lord of the Rings also being legal in Modern. That is a change that we did know about , however, but the latest updates follow up on the new changes that we will see starting next year. Changes to Play Booster Boxes So what is this big change? How will it affect MTG?

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Recapping MTG in 2024