Temporary OP is temporary.
Pro Tour Khans of Tarkir is in the books and we have much clearer idea of the meta we're in for and it's really diverse and awesome. Let's talk about a few of the decks:
First up we have Abzan Midrange, led by old friend Courser of Kruphix and new friend Siege Rhino. Do you like big value creatures and hitting your opponent in the face? This is the deck for you!
Next is Jeskai
Tempo Aggro Burn Wins ALPHONSO! No one knows quite what to make of this deck. Is it a burn deck? Is it aggressive? Controlling? All of the above? Whatever it is, it's good. Do you like Izzet? Do you like Boros? This deck combines both in one tasty package.
UB Control - what no new clan? Lame. Control, it turns out, did survive Rotation, but only just barely. Dig Through Time is no Rev, but still incredible. Perilous Vault is no Verdict but.... Ummm... it still... does stuff? We still have Counterspells! Disdainful Stroke is the new hotness!
Jeskai Ascendancy Combo - yes there is a REAL COMBO deck in Standard. Hard to beleive, much doubted, but here it is. Pick your wincon and combo out.
Images and more details to come. Just wanted to get a thread up.
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BROOD FOR THE BROOD GOD
My favorite part of coverage was the anecdote about someone talking to Floch about his chance to win two Pro Tours in a row and he just said, "not with this deck."
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you know what's better at control? the abzan deck, just raise the top end. basically what ari lax was doing.
a) casual players who'd never drafted
b) newer players who'd studied theros intently but didn't know anything about khans
c) the smart but walker-hungry little bros of my buddy's now-wife
i drafted abysmally, but the point of it all was that the above meant I would nonchalantly get passed things like, you know, a foil fetch (labeled "the worst rare I've ever seen" by one of the brothers. bless the inscrutably powerful land)
after i snatched it i felt bad and so told them about the deal with fetches and their worth and such, and still got passed a third-pack windswept heath (not the craziest thing if one's more concerned with honing their deck). I still felt bad so I made a point of announcing what it was again, and then proceeded to wheel the thing. 11th pick fetch, i can pass ye no longer
Pearl Lake Ancient and Prog Sphinx are just no substitute for AEtherling/Elspeth either.
It's just not a good choice right now. If a Control deck is going to appear, it's more likely to be in Abzan (as Lucedes said), or even Jeskai (we've seen some Alphonso list have a transformative sideboard into a more controlling deck, and I still think Keranos will have a chance to shine)
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Black feels bad because while Heros Downfall and Thoughtseize are sweet, in a format with Abzan Midrange and Jeskai Alphonso I don't think Control can really afford to go 1-for-1 without a better way to restock.
Maybe new Jace is worth investigating? It can fuel Digs, and draw you 7 if you ultimate... but again it's so much slower.
My gut says Control will be born out of a variant of Alphonso.
Also, why are Temple of Malady so damn expensive on MTGO? Isn't it like a one-of in the Abzan decks?
JEEZ you guys, you all are so combo-fixated you ignore the facts
when we drafted alara reborn for my friend's bachelor party that i organized, i opened and then was also passed a maelstrom pulse
btw never draft that set solo it was a terrible idea but man was it hilarious
Hey, I used the proper name in the OP, sir.
Jon Loucks thinks rattleclaw is better than caryatid
Which is
Hilarious?
Oh, that's just Abzan? Damn.
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4 swan song
4 xenagos
4 nissa
3 chandra
TRANSFORMATIONAL
i think rattleclaw wins in a deck like the one im playing now where you still have 5 drops you wanna cast but have a lower, more aggressive curve and hes a dork that can attack
otherwise probs not
I'm caught up (i think) on CR and yeah, when they were going all in on how good big knucks was i was like 'uh i dunno guys'
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Oh siege rhino is pretty good I guess
But this knuckle guy huaghluagjghugjaghluagh
catch up to me, meta
Marsh come on wtf are you doing
like they have so much game against the control decks that dont really exist aside from ub that even floch thought was trash
but its manabase concedes to jeskai so
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Also I can't stop pulling fetches. At least twelve so far. But not a single wooded foothills? And only one polluted delta that I immediately traded to a guy that was standing right there and really wanted it.
BLESSING AND A CURSE
I am perfectly ok with this turn of events, I'm getting a box tommorrow and it should be interesting.
Steam
Even the fetch I got is the worst one.
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your only good rares: a single sorin and a single flooded strand
ineedmayo.com Eidolon Journal Updated
Fetch every single time
Typically recently for the last few sets I haven't been buying packs, usually preferring a box or just singles, but there's so much value in khans that I just can't stop
I swear, I don't really buy boxes or packs, but I draft and win 2-8 packs every week and my trade binder has maybe 7 cards that are worth $10 or more.