Remember the last time there was a ban in Standard? We needed it so badly that the format was almost unplayable and two different decks were way too powerful compared to everything else. We aren't in as dire a situation currently, but this time it is arguably more annoying and unfun. Magic Spotlight just wrapped up in Orlando and we saw a top 8 field that had 75% Vivi Cauldron representation. The metagame itself was about 55%. This is even worse than it was with Cutter. It is evident that Vivi is the best deck, and it has gotten to the point where other decks are abandoning their gameplan to include cards in the main deck to try and stop the Vivi combo. This is a dead giveaway that we have a glaring issue. Since I believe that some type of ban will happen, I think it is useful to consider what Standard looks like after that, and what decks might emerge. We will take a look at the other deck that did well in the event, and what list starts to stand out after the imminent ban on either Vivi or Cauldron. There was a silver lining today. Amidst all of the complaints about the current format, mono red set all that aside and took care of business. Needless to say, the deck looks very different than it did the last time we saw it in a major event, but the archetype itself is proving to have evergreen efficacy. You have to figure that this deck is still good after additional bans, but it definitely would look different. It would be allowed to have more of a gameplan, and the gameplay of the deck would likely be more linear. It was relieving to see that Vivi didn't outright win the event, but even without the deck getting first, it still feels like it won in a lot of ways.  There isn't a ton to actually recap for the event. It was a ton of Vivi, and Mono Red did its best to fight against it. There were a couple of Mono Black decks that made two, some Dimir, and some Azorius Midrange. When it came down to it, however, the top 16 was virtually all of the top 2 decks.

The Standard RCQ season is in full swing, and although it's still early, it is always nice to get that first qualification out of the way. I was fortunate enough to do that a week ago at a local RCQ and it was with this demon list that I finalized a little bit before heading over to the event. Things worked out really well for me, as I only dropped one match all day, and the person who handed me my only loss, I ended up beating in the finals. The matchups were pretty diverse. We are cautiously optimistic about calling Standard a "healthy" format right now. The Vivi Cauldron and Dimir Kaito decks might say otherwise, but it is pretty healthy otherwise. I was fortunate enough to not go up against Vivi at all this day, but I did have to go against Kaito twice. Thankfully I was able to beat it both times.  As for the deck itself, it definitely has to take on a new look after rotation. There are a couple of new choices that we use for removal, and we even get to use a new card from Edge of Eternities. This modal spell actually helps a ton with synergy in the deck outside of simple removal. We will check on that momentarily. What is most interesting to me about this deck, and intriguing is the fact that it is successful so far in the new meta, is that we are reverting back to the combo that we played previously. We have reintroduced the Slasher/Bloodletter combo and it seems to be working well. When I think of where the list is at now, I think of it as a sort of "back to basics" list. There aren't a ton of demons, but just enough to make it consistent. Each slot is pretty carefully chosen and we have definitely lowered the AMC compared to other lists, and I think that helps out with a meta that is still fast - even after rotation. Alright, enough of me yapping and gloating. Let's take a look at the deck!  You will see that there are a lot of familiar faces here. A couple of new friends, but we have kept the shell that has been around for the last eight to ten months. My favorite part about the deck is that while it does have the combo option, it can simply grind with or without the combo pieces in play. Equally, the combo pieces themselves are just good cards on their own. Bloodletter of Aclazotz is good in almost any deck that makes someone lose life and Unstoppable Slasher forces bad resource trades in a format that demands decks to run removal. The opponent often has to burn two spells to get rid of it, and we usually come out on top in that exchange. The important part here is that we get a lot of value out of all of our creatures. I'll show you some of the new cards from the last couple of sets that we have, and then go over new removal choices so we can get a feel for how to pilot this going forward.

It really feels like we are still taking in everything from Final Fantasy. About a month ago we had MC Vegas and the collector boosters were all the craze, along with the pro tour. In less than five weeks, we have seen a bunch of cards banned, had rotation, and had a new set release. It is an eventful MTG Summer to say the least. Right now, it is that time that we all love where a new meta will be formed. I know that I usually release deck lists before the new set comes out, but this time I wanted to wait for the set to be released and test it a bit after rotation before I advised whether or not some of this stuff was worth burning wildcards on. The first list that I have for you is the discard list. We got some new tools in Edge of Eternities and in this post-ban/rotation meta we are going to have a better opportunity to get back to basics and try out some of the good old-fashioned mono black fun. My favorite thing about this deck is that we can turn our main engine into a creature when we are ready. There are so many good discard spells in the format right now. We are approaching a point where control decks are going to be relevant again because aggro decks are still good. It is part of my due diligence to find out a good control/discard deck for you. This is my first attempt. We are going to use our efficient threats to trade with problematic creatures, and remove them where needed. We will use our discard spells to help ensure that the opponent runs out of gas. Once they get to that point, we will punish them for having no cards in hand. This will eventually lead to them getting too far behind to simply beat us with a top deck. We even have some options for gaining life that will help us stay in the game. Let's take a look at some of the new cards that are making a splash early. Fun New Toys

We are fresh off of an absolute KNEECAPPING of the Standard Meta. The top two aggro decks, domain, graveyard combo, and bounce all took a huge hit. We are currently operating as if these decks are now unplayable, so by default, there will be questions. Can we keep playing the other decks that were decent in the meta? Will they get better? And even, can I finally brew in Standard the way that I want to? The answer for now might be yes to all of that. In a format that feels as if it is wide open, we have a chance to take a wild-west approach to the current Standard format until we have rotation and the next set. While there will be plenty of brews to come, I would like to examine the decks that will now move up into the upper echelon of the meta. There are three different archetypes that I believe will benefit from the bans. Let's start it off with one that might seem pretty obvious This probably doesn't come as a surprise. Many people have had success with this deck, and have used it as somewhat of an anti-meta list to deal with all different types of threats. Although the meta is a little bit more wide open, I still think this list is equipped to take down anything that is thrown at it.

I'll never forget what it was like to come back to magic a few years ago after taking a seven-year break to stumble across a meta that was so diverse, it had a deck that was centered around equipment, and the deck was actually really good. It was the golden age of Standard. Kaldheim was the most powerful set in the format by far, and the rares and mythics from that plane set the tone for what the meta would be in our beloved format. Sadly, it ended up rotating, and it did not get to stick around long enough to see the three-year rotation cycle like we have now. The good news is, we are going to try and bring it back! We will look to use cards that go all the way back in Standard so far to the point where the deck might only be playable for a couple of months. That's okay, we will have our fun while we can. I want to throw my hat in the ring for a powerful Boros Equipment list in our new Standard that comes out with Final Fantasy. I think there are too many powerful equipment both in this set, and that have come out within the last year to overlook giving this a shot. It may look a little different, and be a bit janky, but we have enough powerful cards to make this deck awesome. What I love most about it is that we will be able to tutor for equipment cards, and that is where we can kind of use a toolbox of equipment and have a few different one-ofs to diversify our threats. This also allows us to use our sideboard for additional equipment cards if needed. We should expect the deck to change as we see what the meta turns into after Final Fantasy is released. I believe that people are expecting change, and even if we don't get it in the first two months, we will also have rotation. That will guarantee change if nothing else does. We will take a look at the deck and then go over some of the new cards that are showcased within it, and we can see a pretty cool combo that will form. I included a lot of new cards in this deck, so forgive me if I don't get to all of them - but I promise that they all fit well for their own reasons. You can see that we definitely want to set things up early with this deck. The meta is very fast and we want to have our engines going on turns two and three and start trying to amass value from there. We will even try to get maximum value out of cards like Leyline Axe to try and get it going before we even lay our first land. Some of our creatures create their own equipment, and some creatures allow us to tutor for equipment. Some allow us to equip for free, and some even reanimate equipment from our graveyard, or allow us to attach them from our hand. We have many different ways to get value in this deck, so let's take a look at the key players. Key New Cards

We are about to embark upon the most unique set in Standard we have ever had, while also going into a new era where Universes Beyond cards are all Standard legal, and they are released multiple times a year. Many are up in arms about the game possibly being ruined, or losing its integrity. I personally am waiting to see how things play out, and doing my best to enjoy the new cards as much as I can. Final Fantasy is an interesting set for me. I haven't ever played a Final Fantasy game and I am completely in the dark on any of the lore or story in general. I've felt a bit left out in regards to the hype for the set, and I have been taking a different approach to the cards in the set as they are spoiled. I have strictly been looking at things from a card evaluation standpoint. One could say it's essentially the same as how I've always done it, but in this case it feels like I am an outlier. Although I don't know much about Final Fantasy, I was able to find a card with a mechanic that is near and dear to my heart. Gain and drain will always be my favorite mechanic/ability in MTG, and anyone who has been reading these articles long enough already knew that. Today we are going to look at everyone's favorite villain: Sephiroth. Trust me, I didn't know that before, my friend who is a Final Fantasy enjoyer told me all about it. We will use some other gain and drain effects, and some aristocrat creatures to hopefully drain out our opponent and flood the board with creatures that can go wide. We'll take a look at the deck and then I'll go over the new cards that I included, and why I think they'll be useful in Standard. Let's check it out! I tried to include a good amount of new cards for the deck. A lot of it was pretty easy to build around and the deck somewhat ended up building itself. It was refreshing to have support for this ability. Without further ado, let's check out these new cards and why they are good.  Relevant New Cards

Remember when Domain was the best deck in the format? Pepperidge Farm remembers. We are currently experiencing some pretty hefty shifts in the meta regarding the most popular decks, and it seems that many players who enjoy big mana decks are making the shift towards an aggro-based list. A few of us have gotten our wish - myself included - Tarkir has brought us the shift in the meta that many felt we desperately needed. There are some cards in Tarkir that stand out and are helping to shape the meta. We have new archetypes rising, and there are some other archetypes that were on the edge of being relevant, and just needed a couple of cards. Some of those archetypes are now lit up, and the meta is becoming more diverse. I think it's a little too early to flat out call it healthy, but I think that it is starting to feel better, and to feel as if we can play fun decks without playing against the same thing every time. Today we will look at some of the biggest shifts in the metagame, and check out some of the cards that are causing these shifts. The Latest Challenger We'll start out with the biggest difference-maker in the meta: Izzet Prowess. This is a deck that people have tried to play before, and there were random times where it was good, but it has finally been given a tool that allows for constant generation of creatures, and rewards proper sequencing of spells. 

We just finished up the Regional Championship in Bologna, and we are finally getting some answers in regards to what the best decks are in Standard. We had the confirmation of aggro still being very effective, and those pesky mice continue to do their thing. In addition to that, Izzet Prowess has made a name for itself. Jeskai Control had a good showing, and Domain was still represented as well. We have all known about Esper Pixie for a bit, and many of us have been adequately terrorized by it. A new, more consistent version of this archetype is here and it uses some great cards. This archetype had a good showing at the Regional Championship, and had a list that qualified for the next RC, while just missing a spot at the pro tour. Orzhov Pixie is a deck that aims to be more consistent with its mana, and also allows for a pivot to more of a midrange battle when needed. The plethora of discard and removal make it a deck that is right up my alley, and I will never turn down the opportunity to play cards that make the opponent lose life. Today we are going to examine Orzhov Pixie, and why I believe it is the best version of the Pixie Archetype. We will go over some important cards that this list uses that the Esper version does not, then we will compare the pros and cons of playing each list.  This list that was pretty well curated by Massimiliano earned him an honorable finish in Bologna. This player was one win away from a pro tour invitation and at that point, you have to say that they are in the conversation to be considered one of the top-tier players in Europe at least. They will be back for more opportunities to qualify. This deck has started to break into the meta, and it has finally made a name for itself by having three different players finish in the top 64 with the deck. All three players took home at least $500. Not bad for playing your favorite game over a weekend. What strikes me the most in this deck is the versatility of it. There are cards that we can top deck that make it so we are a lot less likely to run out of gas. I think that is what I enjoy most about this compared to the Esper Version. Esper is all in on the combo itself, and it doesn't have as good of a backup plan. This list allows you to play the midrange and attrition-based matchups that are sometimes demanded of you based on what the opponent is playing. The versatility of Orzhov Pixie is what sets it apart. Relevant Cards