Now that we officially have the full card list for Theros, I think it’s time to start talking about the new Standard we will be facing in about a week’s time. While I’m sure Pro Tour Theros well set the stage for the Standard GP in Louisville the weekend following, it’s not too early to start coming up with ideas that the Pros may have missed or decided not to play.

That being said, Pros’ ideas are wonderful tools to work with. In Pro Tour Draon’s Maze, we have a format only two sets different from what we will be playing soon. There UWx dominated the metagame, but the event was won by Craig Wescoe with GW aggro. There should be a place for a deck like this, so it’s worth trying to figure out what it should look like. Here is my take:

GW Aggro

I’ve added some standouts from M14 in Scavenging Ooze and Imposing Sovereign here. Not certain how good they are, but I wouldn’t be surprised if testing shows Sovereign is really good in this deck. I’ve also replaced Judge’s Familiar and Call of the Conclave with new cards: Fleecemane Lion and Soldier of the Pantheon. The Lion seems like a strict upgrade to Call, except it doesn’t interact with Populate, which may be important out of the board. However, I think the ability to become Hexproof and Indestructible out weighs the loss of synergy. Soldier of the Pantheon adds an additional 2/1 for one whose protection can act as evasion against some decks. It may prove that actually having flying is better if the format is too single color centric for his abilities to prove relevant.

I’ve also added two Spear of Heliod. Anthem affects have traditionally been powerful for heavy creature decks like this. It’s Legendary nature prevents me from wanting more than two though. Conveniently the Spear adds an element the deck is otherwise mostly missing – removal. I don’t know how often you will have the opportunity to kill an opponent’s creature with it’s activation, but it’s nice to have the option.

I’m not going to post a sideboard for any of the decks today, but I will suggest cards to consider for sideboards. What you ultimately choose should be based on what you expect in your local metagame and what rises to the top once the format gets underway.

For GW, I would take the Rootborn Defenses I cut from the main and move most to the side. I think four would be too many, as Wescoe’s choice came from informed guess that Supreme Verdict would be heavily played at the Pro Tour. This should be less the case in a few weeks. I would also want Unflinching Courage and some number of Trostani. Archangel of Thune is another card that could be added for life gain purposes that gets to beat down while doing it. Brave the Elements should also be a good card for this deck, since it protects all but three of the creatures.

As for the UWx decks that populated the Pro Tour, I think we will see something of a mix between the Block Decks and current Standard builds. Omenspeaker should replace Augur of Bolas. Even though scrying is not as good as the potential to “draw” an instant or sorcery, the 1/3 body should still be relevant given the influx of 2/1s into the format.

The bigger changes come from Snapcaster Mage, Think Twice, and Restoration Angel rotating. Their absence should do two things. First, Aetherling will likely be the kill condition as it was at the Pro Tour. Secondly, the decrease in cheap cantrips and lack of Flashback will force UWx decks to play cards in greater numbers. A singleton Harvest Pyre or Psychic Spiral can no longer act as win conditions. The card drawing hole itself will be filled by Jace, Architect of Thought and/or Steam Augury in the decks with access to Red mana. Other scry cards maybe utilized here as well, but I don’t expect the mechanic to make much of an impact on lists until the UR and UW Temples are released, presumably with Born of the Gods.

I don’t have an actual list for this archetype as there are a number of different ways to go with it and a lot of numbers to tweak. I think UW based decks are some of the few that may still be able to get away with three colors in the new format, since Supreme Verdict and Sphinx’s Revelation have the potential to dig the player out of holes mana issues may put him in. The shell of the deck should be obvious from the Pro Tour and the last year of Standard (Jace, Verdict, Revelation, Azorius Charm, Syncopate, Omenspeaker, Aetherling); it’s those last 10 to 15 cards that will take time to figure out and may also depend on how the metagame turns out.

The last deck I wanted to touch on from Pro Tour Dragon’s Maze is Josh Utter-Leyton’s Boros deck. There has been a fair amount of talk about Red decks with Purphoros, God of the Forge. I think there is a good reason to talk about such. However, most people have been focusing in on mono-Red aggro or a more midrange take with Assemble the Legion and Heliod. The one card I think has been overlooked in all this talk is Legion's Initiative . Utter-Leyton used it as an anthem since nearly all of his creatures were red, but also as a foil to Supreme Verdict. Like I said, I think Verdict will be less popular in the coming Standard than it was at the Pro Tour, however Initiative can make up for the likelihood that most of your creatures will already be in play by the time that Purphoros comes into play. The combination of the two should be good for at least an additional six damage. Here is my suggested list:

Boros Aggro

I’ve added a land to Josh’s original 21 since there is now a four drop in the deck. The two Mutavaults might be ambitious but are worth testing initially. White mana production is down to just the Shock Lands as the need for White has been cut drastically by trimming some Boros Charms as well as all the Frontline Medics.

Cards to consider for both maindeck slots and the side include Boros Reckoner , Chain to the Rocks, Act of Treason, Electrickery, more Boros Charms, and Spark Jolt. On the last one, as well as Electrickery, there is quite an influx in 2/1s for one with Theros. This will likely entice players to at least try out the aggro capabilities of not only Red, but White (see the updated GW deck above) and Black as well (looking at you Tormented Hero). If that is the case, one mana kill spells with upsides should be rather good. Electrickery stands out even more as I suspect some people will try a few things with Young Pyromancer as well.

Moving away from the last Pro Tour, there is another Red deck that has put itself on the map lately that may be able to be updated. I am referring to the Big Red deck Joseph Herrera piloted to a win at the SCG Open in Baltimore. At first glance it seems unsalvagable based on the number of cards rotating out. However, I think Theros provides enough goodies to make it work. My take:

Big Red

Anger of the Gods adds a new dynamic to this deck. Previously it was very important to start controlling the board early as you couldn’t catch up until six mana with Mizzium Mortars. Having access to a cheaper sweeper allows the deck to play a slightly slower early game with Magma Jet getting the nod over Shock where Pillar of Flame used to be. The fact that Anger also exiles makes up for the loss of Pillar, allowing you to sweep Voice of Resurgence for good. It is also due to Anger of the Gods that I chose Frostburn Weird with it’s ability to survive the sweeper over Ash Zealot while still contributing the same amount to devotion.

Speaking of devotion, Purphoros is mainly a resilient beater in this deck and may not be needed at all. His abilities seem unlikely to come up, but I liked the idea of a 6/5 indestructible creature. He may become the fourth Ember Swallower and Stormbreath Dragon . It will depend on how testing goes.

As for the mana base, I believe four colorless lands are fine, and I may be willing to try a fifth. Nykthos is mainly there to get your creatures monstrous, but can also help overload Mortars early. The curve of the deck is mostly twos and fours. Boros Reckoner, Anger of the Gods, and Stormbreath Dragon are the exceptions. That being the case, I will be interested to see if the deck could afford to play some number of scry lands in place of Mountains. Turns one, three, and five are perfect for playing an ETB tapped land, unless you really need to Anger the Gods on turn three. If it can be worked in, the extra scry should be really good for the deck. Red does not have card draw like Blue so the card manipulation is much appreciated. Also, scry goes very well with Chandra’s zero ability.

Turning to cards for the board, the Burning Earths I cut from the main may be good enough for the side, depending on how greedy people still are and if the scry lands work their way into the deck. Ratchet Bomb is another card to consider as well as the aforementioned Electrickery. I feel like the deck is lacking something against the Sphinx’s Revelation decks but am not quite certain what that is or how to help it. Pithing Needle should be able to help against Jace and Aetherling.

The last deck I want to discuss today is more of my own brew than a rehashing of older decks.

BG

I don’t know if the time is right for a deck like this as it probably needs another land to make its mana smooth enough. As it is Elvish Mystic may need to be Sylvan Caryatid since there are only nine turn one green sources.

The idea of the deck isn’t very different from any BG deck of the past; play as many powerful cards as you can, picking up on synergy where you can. If the mana is not too much of an issue the deck has some very strong starts that can allow it to either pressure UW or put a stop toa Red deck’s aggression. There is some issue with lifeloss as Overgrown Tomb, Thoughtseize , and Read the Bones take their toll. This is why I added the two Whip of Erebros. With it in play, you should be more than able to make up for early life loss. The Shallow Grave ability is really just icing on the cake.

The Festering Newts may be questionable, but as I said earlier there are a plethora of 2/1s entering the format. Being able to brick wall two attackers for fear of the two for one is obviously very good, but what I like about it the most is it’s ability to function as a spell with either Varolz or Desecration Demon. If the format does not turn on the x/1s from aggro, it is at least a one drop that can trade with x/2s like Burning-Tree Emissary.

The card I am most intrigued by is Reaper of the Wilds. It’s large enough to not die to most creatures or Mizzium Mortars. It already doesn’t die to Black’s removal except Putrefy or Hero’s Downfall, but can protect itself from that if you have mana available. I don’t think deathtouch will be that relevant, but I do like the scry capabilities. The deck should force attrition, allowing you to find more action or pivotal land drops with him in play. It’s probably not the best against UWx decks, but for those you have a strong team in Lotleth Troll, Dreg Mangler, and Varolz.

Cards I am considering for the sideboard include Vraska, the Unseen, Erebos, God of the Undead, Gaze of Granite, Ratchet Bomb, Hero’s Downfall, Duress, the fourth Thoughtseize, Doomblade, and Scavenging Ooze. I would also consider replacing some number of Swamps with Blood Crypt to have access to Rakdos’s Return, but fear that would be way too greedy. Perhaps if the Caryatid gets the call over Elvish Mystic it could work.

That’s all for this week. Feel free to share your thoughts on the format or the decks I’ve posted in the comments.

Thanks for reading,

Grant Christopher

Hologram001 on MTGO