Category Archives: Standard

Dynamic Den Protector!

Den Protector and Deathmist Raptor are the dynamic duo driving many Abzan decks, from Abzan Megamorph to Abzan Control… To Abzan Dragons?!?

den-protector
Den Protector

Before we get into all of this Den Protector / Abzan goodness… A bit of a team announcement:

Michael and Patrick have joined Team Ultra PRO for Pro Tour Magic Origins!

Patrick still “has Pantheon blood” running through his veins, but our intrepid podcasting duo is super excited to join Team Ultra PRO. In case you don’t know about this team, it is absolutely lousy with Hall of Famer / Pro Tour Champion combos like Bob Maher, Paul Rietzl, and Ben Stark (and now Patrick)… As well as regular-old Pro Tour Champions like Craig Wescoe and up-and-comers like Justin Cohen and Adrian Sullivan.

Read more about Team Ultra PRO and meet the full team lineup here.

Okay… Deck lists:

Makihito Mihara and Yuuya Watanabe played a Golgari Dragon Megamorph deck reminiscent of Mike’s Mono-Blue Five-color Dragons deck at Grand Prix Shanghai. Both finished in the Top 16 in Shanghai.

Dragon Megamorph

1 Dragonlord Atarka
2 Dragonlord Dromoka
3 Dragonlord Ojutai
2 Dragonlord Silumgar

3 Courser of Kruphix
4 Deathmist Raptor
4 Den Protector
4 Satyr Wayfinder
4 Sylvan Caryatid

2 Foul-Tongue Invocation
2 Hero’s Downfall
1 Murderous Cut
3 Thoughtseize

2 Forest
4 Haven of the Spirit Dragon
3 Llanowar Wastes
4 Opulent Palace
1 Plains
1 Sandsteppe Citadel
1 Temple of Deceit
4 Temple of Malady
2 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
3 Windswept Heath

sideboard:
2 Bile Blight
1 Crux of Fate
2 Drown in Sorrow
1 Duress
2 Foul-Tongue Invocation
1 Self-Inflicted Wound
2 Ultimate Price
1 Dragonlord Dromoka
1 Silumgar, the Drifting Death
1 Utter End
1 Courser of Kruphix

Note the Dragon suite: All very similar to Mike’s list, essentially grafting [very close to] his Dragon selection onto an Abzan Megamorph shell.

… Did we say “Abzan”?

This deck cuts the darling Siege Rhino for the Dragons, stripping down to essentially just black and green (Golgari) in order to account for Haven of the Spirit Dragon.

While their deck did not play Crucible of the Spirit Dragon, the combination of Satyr Wayfinder and Haven of the Spirit Dragon simulate playing more Dragon lands.

Satyr Wayfinder Haven of the Spirit Dragon
Combining Satyr Wayfinder and Haven of the Spirit Drago makes up for the missing Crucible of the Spirit Dragon.

Abzan Control

Sixty-one cards?

Patrick Chapin is the patron saint of cutting to sixty cards… But in this case he makes a compelling case for Yuuki Ichikawa’s sixty-one.

TCGPlayer Open 5K

The TCGPlayer Open 5K in Milwaukee, WI had its share of sweet decks, too.

Michael and Patrick discuss Taylor Atchison’s Bant Midrange and Caleb Durward’s Four-color Midrange deck.

If you haven’t seen it yet, Caleb got there.

Four-color Midrange by Caleb Durward

3 Bile Blight
1 Crux of Fate
3 Hero’s Downfall
4 Thoughtseize
1 Ultimate Price

3 Abzan Charm
3 Dragonlord Ojutai
2 Fleecemane Lion
4 Siege Rhino
1 Sultai Charm

4 Courser of Kruphix
3 Den Protector

2 Elspeth, Sun’s Champion

2 Forest
1 Llanowar Wastes
2 Mana Confluence
4 Opulent Palace
2 Plains
4 Sandsteppe Citadel
1 Temple of Deceit
4 Temple of Silence
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
3 Windswept Heath
2 Yavimaya Coast

sideboard:
3 Drown in Sorrow
1 Duress
3 Self-Inflicted Wound
3 Disdainful Stroke
1 Negate
1 Dragonlord Dromoka
3 Arashin Cleric

Caleb got Den Protector, Dragonlord Ojutai, Siege Rhino, and Elspeth, Sun’s Champion all in the same deck. Find out what Patrick and Michael love, hate, and lovehate about this sweet new deck.

All this and more in “Dynamic Den Protector”!

Find out why main-deck Self-Inflicted Wound is beating up the current Standard!

Learn how you can cut Bile Blight while overwhelming Mono-Red with Abzan!

How do you use Boon Satyr to kill your opponent’s guys and then attack with it right away?

What is the card that “does what Utter End does but cheaper” in Caleb’s out-there deck list?

Give us a listen and find out in “Dynamic Den Protector”:

Direct Download

, , , ,
Posted on

Dromoka’s Command, Meet Wingmate Roc

Before we get to the main topics, Mike got his physical copy of Next Level Deckbuilding in the mail!

Mike already loved Next Level Deckbuilding (having had the digital version for a year or so) but has lots of nice things to say about the physical release.

If you want to check out Patrick’s new release, Next Level Deckbuilding is available in paperback at Star City Games:

NextLevelDeckbuilding

Next Level Deckbuilding

Gerry Thompson, a friend to the ‘cast, won the MOCS this past weekend with a “retro” Abzan Aggro!

“Gerry Thompson netdecked my grandfather.”
-Patrick

… And it really looks like he did!

If you look at Gerry’s deck, it really looks like a Khans of Tarkir-era deck, rather than one informed by Fate Reforged, let alone Dragons of Tarkir.

Abzan Aggro, by Gerry Thompson

2 Hero’s Downfall
4 Thoughtseize

4 Abzan Charm
4 Anafenza, the Foremost
3 Dromoka’s Command
4 Fleecemane Lion
4 Rakshasha Deathdealer
4 Siege Rhino
1 Sorin, Solemn Visitor

2 Warden of the First Tree

2 Wingmate Roc

2 Caves of Koilos
2 Forest
3 Llanowar Wastes
1 Mana Confluence
2 Plains
4 Sandsteppe Citadel
4 Temple of Malady
3 Temple of Silence
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
4 Windswept Heath

sideboard:
2 Drown in Sorrow
2 Duress
3 Self-Inflicted Wound
1 Dromoka’s Command
1 Sorin, Solemn Visitor
2 Mistcutter Hydra
1 Elspeth, Sun’s Champion
2 Glare of Heresy
1 Wingmate Roc


Dromoka's Command
By making room for Dromoka’s Command in place of Bile Blight, Gerry reduced his deck’s reliance on black mana, in particular BB on turn two.

Wingmate Roc
Welcome back, Wingmate Roc! This is a threat that lets him get in under Elspeth Sun’s Champion, both on mana and on power.

Mana Confluence
Mana Confluence as a twenty-sixth land does multiple things for the usually-twenty-five-land Abzan Aggro archetype. Among other things, you can side out the Mana Confluence against Red Aggro on the draw!

Self-Inflicted Wound
Self-Inflicted Wound hits a shocking number of decks. Patrick spitballs about playing it main deck, not even just sideboard.

Mistcutter Hydra
Mistcutter Hydra, a rediscovered piece of technology, can run right by Dragonlord Ojutai!

Michael — and especially Patrick — come to the conclusion that Elspeth, Sun’s Champion might be where you want to go in Standard… But have a hard time landing on where to play their Elspeth, Sun’s Champions.

What do you think?

Give us a listen, and then comment below.

Direct Download

, , ,
,
Posted on

I’m in Love With the Co-Co

Collected Company
Collected Company (“co-co”) is a powerful source of card advantage and mana efficiency.
Abstract:
Michael J Flores and Patrick Chapin review various recent tournament results, focusing on two new Collected Company builds, G/W and U/G Devotion.

Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver
Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver

Paulo Vitor Damo Da Rosa added Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver to the main deck of his Grand Prix Sao Paulo-winning Esper Dragons list.

What are the implications of running Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver main deck? What decks does this acknowledge respect for? What got cut to make room?

Ultimate Price
Ultimate Price

Ultimate Price is no longer “that good” “in the dark” in Standard. Face down creatures have no color, while legendary Dragonlords have too many colors to be hit by Ultimate Price.

Torrent Elemental
Torrent Elemental

Just putting Torrent Elemental somewhere in your seventy-five can give you a huge advantage against Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver control decks.

There are some sweet Dragon plays in this current Standard. Have you ever tried this?

  1. Start with your own Dragonlord Ojutai (facing off against his Dragonlord Ojutai)
  2. Play Silumgar, the Drifting Death
  3. Bile Blight your own Dragonlord Ojutai
  4. Attack!

You get to 1) kill the opponent’s Dragonlord Ojutai (because it gets -3/-3 from the Bile Blight you cast on your own Dragonlord Ojutai followed by the -1/-1 from Silumgar, the Drifting Death), and 2) still get to Anticipate via the Ojutai attack! HOW COOL IS THAT?

“I don’t know if I’d even have to play for the rest of the day if I pulled that off.”
-Patrick

Den Protector
Den Protector

The rise of Den Protector! Patrick and Michael discuss the inclusion of Den Protector in Lucas Siow’s Grand Prix Toronto-winning Abzan deck.

Elspeth, Sun's Champion
Elspeth, Sun’s Champion

Oh, and Elspeth is back. And still great!

The bulk of “I’m in Love With the Co-Co” is devoted to two Collected Company decks, Craig Wescoe’s G/W Collected Company beatdown deck and Nick Peternell’s U/G Devotion with Collected Company. Their conclusion is that these decks are already great, but Collected Company will make for even more exciting technology as the format continues.

All this and more in “I’m in Love With the Co-Co”:

Direct Download

Music Credits: Ed Sheeran and Hitimpulse

, , ,
Posted on

How to Win a PTQ with Dragonlord Dromoka

Dragonlord Dromoka
If you are expecting Esper or the mirror, you need to lay the foundation with Dragonlord Dromoka

“If you’re the guy with the best technology, you’re rewarded by the Magic gods.”
-Top Level Podcast

And last week at least… Mike was the one with the best technology!

For anyone who missed it, Mike won the Salt Lake City RPTQ with a “crazy” Mono-Blue Five-color Dragons list that was born on this here podcast just a couple of weeks ago.

1st Place Utah

In this episode of Top Level Podcast Utah RPTQ winner Mike Flores joins Pro Tour Champion Patrick Chapin to talk about their Five-color Dragons deck. Which is the best dragon? What are the proper play sequences? Why are there so many one- and three-ofs?

Anyway, Mike ended up with “the blue envelope”.

The sad thing is… The blue envelope was just a stack of white papers!

“That’s how they do it nowadays. It’s your choice: You can either have a blue envelope or an invite to the Pro Tour.”
-Patrick

And in now-typical Top Level Podcast fashion, Michael and Patrick put together an all-new all-different build of Mono-Blue Five-color Dragons… Hopefully preserving the good matchups (Esper and Mono-Red) while getting better and more aware of Abzan Aggro and Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver.

Here Be Dragons:

3 Perilous Vault

3 Dig Through Time
1 Disdainful Stroke
4 Dissolve
1 Dragonlord’s Prerogative
2 Encase in Ice
2 Icefall Regent
2 Nullify
4 Silumgar’s Scorn

2 Dragonlord Atarka
3 Dragonlord Dromoka
3 Dragonlord Ojutai
2 Dragonlord Silumgar

4 Crucible of the Spirit Dragon
1 Flooded Strand
4 Haven of the Spirit Dragon
5 Island
4 Polluted Delta
1 Temple of Deceit
4 Temple of Enlightenment
1 Temple of Epiphany
4 Temple of Mystery

Sideboard
1 Disdainful Stroke
1 Dragonlord’s Prerogative
2 Encase in Ice
2 Icefall Regent
4 Master of Waves
1 Negate
3 Omenspeaker
1 Dragonlord Kolaghan

Find out why Dragonlord Kolaghan made it [back] into the list, how the boys got there, plus some live tweeting from Kenji Tsumura (!!!) in “How to Win a PTQ with Dragonlord Dromoka”.

Direct Download

, , , ,
,
Posted on

Silumgar’s Scorn is a Messed Up Magic Card

Silumgar's Scorn
Silumgar’s Scorn is a messed up Magic card.

Esper Dragons in Standard is “not even realistic”!

All the other strategies are invalidated!

Too many people are just not playing realistic decks!

Esper is so much better than everything else it’s almost not worth having a conversation… And a big reason for that is of course Silumgar’s Scorn (which is a messed up Magic card).

Silumgar’s Scorn comes out on turn two as a Force Spike… And is essentially Counterspell the rest of the game. (You’d be surprised at what kind of “something special” it is to have Counterspell in your deck.)

Esper is so good that even their “bad matchup” Mono-Red got handed a 13-0 record beating over the Pro Tour and Grand Prix!

“If you don’t show up with something new, you better show up with Esper!”
-Patrick

But lucky for Top Level Podcast listeners, Patrick and Michael give you something new (maybe):

“Esper-Aware” Mardu Tokens

4 Butcher of the Horde
4 Crackling Doom
2 Mardu Charm

4 Dragon Fodder
4 Goblin Rabblemaster
4 Hordeling Outburst
4 Outpost Siege
4 Stoke the Flames

4 Raise the Alarm
1 Soulfire Grand Master
1 Valorous Stance

2 Battlefield Forge
4 Bloodstaine Mire
2 Caves of Koilos
2 Nomad Outpost
3 Mountain
2 Plains
1 Swamp
1 Temple of Malice
3 Temple of Silence
3 Temple of Triumph

sideboard:
2 Read the Bones
2 Self-Inflicted Wound
1 Utter End
3 Twin Bolt
2 Nyx-Fleece Ram
2 Chandra, Pyromaster
1 Erase
1 Glare of Heresy
1 Valorous Stance

Patrick Chapin joins Michael J Flores in a discussion of Esper Dragons, control in general, and Silumgar’s Scorn… Until they end up brewing a Mardu list.

Give it a listen!

Direct Download

Want to hear more from these guys?

Patrick’s Magic: The Gathering Books

Michael’s Magic: The Gathering Books

, , ,
Posted on

Episode 22 – Fun With Polluted Delta

Polluted Delta
Polluted Delta Control decks were some of the most successful decks of Pro Tour Dragons of Tarkir

In our 22d episode, “Fun With Polluted Delta” Pro Tour Champion Patrick Chapin and Resident Genius Michael J Flores discuss three-and-a-half takes on Standard control.

Adrian Sullivan played a “pure” Dimir Control deck with only Planeswalkers to win.

Learn about this deck that “trims cards that are un-trimmable”, “plays one copy of a whole bunch of cards you would never Tutor for”, and runs “all kinds of colors of dual lands splashing for colors that aren’t in his deck”.

You’ll also learn the key to sideboarding against mono-red with Adrian’s build, and why it might be favored against Jeskai Tokens.

Former Player of the Year Shota Yasooka returned to Top 8 glory with a Dimir Control deck of his own.

Check out this coming out party for Icefall Regent and learn about a non-intuitive interaction you might not have known when playing Silumgar, the Drifting Death.

Andrew Ohlschwager splashed white mana for Dragonlord Ojutai in his third look at Polluted Delta in the Pro Tour Dragons of Tarkir Top 8. Why might Andrew have played one copy of Sign in Blood instead of blue card drawing spells? Patrick and Michael engage in some lively speculation.

Finally, our intrepid Top Level Podcast duo examine Bryan Raymer’s Mono-Blue Dragons deck from States. Bryan made Top 8 running main deck Encase in Ice! Find out why a straight blue deck might be under-powered, but how this deck is already inspiring our heroes to brew Brew BREW

And speaking of brewing…

We might just end on a high note!

Dragon Tempest
Do these cards represent a possible future combo deck?

Direct Download

Elsewhere:

, ,
Posted on

Speed, Nowhere, and Ojutai Exemplars

Ojutai Exemplars
Patrick’s short spiel on Ojutai’s Exemplars last week… Convinced Mike to buy a set!

How do you make a deck that is already the fastest deck in the format a half-turn faster?

Find out in “Speed, Nowhere, and Ojutai Exemplars”!

The importance of looking at formats from different angles?

“Speed, Nowhere, and Ojutai Exemplars” has got you covered!

Nostalgia? The history of Luis Scott-Vargas-winning tournaments?

… “Speed, Nowhere, and Ojutai Exemplars” I tell you!

[2009 World Champion] Andre Coimbra not believing some ridiculous turn-1 claim Mike makes?

“SPEED, NOWHERE, AND OJUTAI EXEMPLARS”

“We have math for this, man.”
-Patrick Chapin

From New York City!

From the middle of nowhere, Belgium!

Mike Flores and Patrick Chapin bring you the epic twentieth episode of Top Level Podcast… “Speed, Nowhere, and Ojutai Exemplars”

What’s it like for two of the ten best deck builders of all time* to upload five years of deck building into your head in five minutes (or five months)?

“Speed, Nowhere, and Ojutai Exemplars” (obv)

In addition to spending much of this podcast on the paradigm-shifting power of Ojutai Exemplars, Patrick and Mike talk about Secure the Wastes and some updates / revisions to Sidisi, Undead Vizier.

Secure the Wastes
“Secure the Wastes for zero” will be a surprisingly effective Ojutai Exemplars-saving play.

Sidisi, Undead Vizier
Make sure you know how to respond to the multiple triggers on Sidisi, Undead Vizier; also…

“The Pantheon rules the streets.”
-“Poet Laureate” Owen Turtenwald

All this and more in: “Speed, Nowhere, and Ojutai Exemplars”

Direct Download

* not Michael and / or Patrick BTW… But if you want to read about the Ten Best Deck Builders of All Time, check out Patrick’s book Next Level Deckbuilding

, , ,
Posted on

Sidisi, Undead Vizier + the Best of B&W

Sidisi, Undead Vizier
Sidisi, Undead Vizier is one of the best black cards in Dragons of Tarkir.

Patrick and Michael go over the ins and outs of Sidisi, Undead Vizier and the Exploit mechanic in general. Sultai Emissary is going to have lots and lots of reasons to raise in value.

Damnable Pact
Damnable Pact, aka “DrainGeyser” is a flexible staple-to-be.

Damnable Pact is equally valuable pointed at you or your opponent (depending on the context of a game). Remember: When you point it at yourself, you’re probably not in a lot of danger, and / or you have a bit of cushion in the life points column.

shambling-goblin
It might look little, but Shambling Goblin is standing by to become a strapping shield.

Blood-Chin Fanatic

Blood-Chin Fanatic is a potential paradigm-changer for the Warriors linear. Patrick calls MichaelJ a genius for his take on Blood Chin Fanatic… But he also calls him a “Gnarled Mass afficionado” (which he is, let’s be honest).

Blood-Chin Rager
Blood-Chin Rager ain’t no slouch itself!

A 2/2 for two mana, Blood-Chin Rager will not be the most exciting Warrior in terms of power-to-casting cost ratio… But it will do good work for Team Warriors. Remember: Cowards Can’t Block Warriors; and with Blood-Chin Rager in the mix, everyone else is going to have a hard time, too.

Anafenza, Kin-Tree Spirit
Anafenza, Kin-Tree Spirit is much more than a 2/2 for two itself! Patrick makes quite the case for this card in “Sidisi, Undead Vizier + the Best of B&W”.

Arashin Foremost
Arashin Foremost is a creature packed with potential. Find out why this creature might be even more powerful than the once dominant Silverblade Paladin.

All in all Patrick Chapin and Michael J Flores blow out the best of black and white cards from Dragons of Tarkir. Give it all a listen, starting with Sidisi, Undead Vizier…

Direct Download

Want to hear more from these guys?

Patrick’s Magic: The Gathering Books

Michael’s Magic: The Gathering Books

, , , ,
, ,
Posted on

Deathmist Raptor & Devotion to Dragons of Tarkir


Deathmist Raptor
Deathmist Raptor is one of the best cards in the set… And might be THE best card in the set.

Mike tries really hard to get Patrick to not like Deathmist Raptor… But is not successful.

Deathmist Raptor is pretty good (not great) on rate… But it does so many other things that you will consistently make a profit on it.

Deathmist Raptor has two green mana symbols to contribute to the “Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx” cause (and obviously works well with preexisting Devotion threats Mastery of the Unseen and Whisperwood Elemental)… Which puts the boys on the “Devotion to…” theme.

Dragons of Tarkir in many ways ushers in a new age of Devotion decks. There are many tools to set up such decks across the various colors.


Ainok Survivalist
Ainok Survivalist will save many Deathmist Raptors, and even help out against a Banishing Light that MIGHT get him.

“This guy is nice.”
-Patrick

“I am terrified of any Hound at 1G.”
-Mike


Shorecrasher Elemental
With UUU in the upper-right, Shorecrasher Elemental seems tailor-made for a return to Mono-Blue Devotion.

“I can’t even conceive of the world where this guy’s playtest name was NOT ‘MegaMorphling.'”
-Patrick

“Patrick Chapin breaks the Internet.”
-Mike

As it is an Elemental, Shorecrasher Elemental was engineered to be “the chosen one” according to Patrick… Note the Master of Waves synergy.


Stratus Dancer
Stratus Dancer is just a great card, whether you play it in a Devotion to Blue deck or not.

The presence of so many effective blue Megamorph cards gives Mono-Blue Devotion a lot of play, tactical implications, and a profound ability to bluff. Unlike previous versions of Mono-Blue Devotion, the post-Dragons of Tarkir Mono-Blue Devotion deck will have great resilience versus removal.

Encase in Ice
Encase in Ice

Mirror Mockery
Mirror Mockery


Enchantments like Encase in Ice and Mirror Mockery give Mono-Blue Devotion more ways to build Devotion to Blue outside of committing to additional creatures. Playing Mirror Mockery on your own Master of Waves does too many good things (including double pumps during combat), plus, Mirror Mockery + Bident of Thassa is going to be just filthy.

Dragon Whisperer
Dragon Whisperer is the flagship that pulls together Red Devotion in the upcoming Standard.

All of this plus way more Dragons of Tarkir discussion!

All in:

“Deathmist Raptor & Devotion to Dragons of Tarkir”

Direct Download

, , , ,
Posted on

(Elder Dragon) Dragonlord Silumgar & More Dragons of Tarkir

Dragonlord Silumgar
Dragonlord Silumgar is going to be a game-changer.

Before we dig into Dragonlord Silumgar and other dragons from Dragons of Tarkir, Patrick and Michael share some mail / email / social media questions, including…

  • The availability of Next Level Deckbuilding!
  • A winning mindset (or, what Pro Tour Qualifier Mike should attend)
  • How good Whisperwood Elemental is versus Wingmate Roc in Abzan Aggro

… The answers might surprise you.

But for the next hour and a half our heroes peel back the scales of some of the preliminary Dragons of Tarkir spoilers, focusing on the dragon creatures, and one dragon in particular; an Elder Dragon, Dragonlord Silumgar.

Dragons of Tarkir?

“This set is aptly named.

“Do you know the set Dragon’s Maze is the first set in years with NO DRAGONS? There was one maze, though.

“Just don’t put the word ‘dragon’ in the name if there are no dragons.”

-Patrick Chapin

  • Who is that dangling from Dragonlord Silumgar’s neck? Oh, it’s Tasigur, the Golden Fang! (ew) (“That is some wicked crazy stuff.”)
  • Sunscorched Regent… Starts having a good rate at 6/5. “Put me down as ‘a skeptic.'”
  • Thunderbreak Regent has a ton of competition… But is something the format actually wants
  • Boltwing Marauder… Is not in the zip code of “powerful enough”.
  • Pristine Skywise is basically the same cost as Elspeth, Sun’s Champion and Soul of Theros… Can it compete?
  • Necromaster Dragon sure has an unwieldy text box (but is attractive to “people who are not us”)
  • Deathbringer Regent was born to murder Hornet Queens. “This guy is definitely turned on at the sight of a Hornet Queen!”

Deathbringer Regent
Note: This podcast refers to Deathbringer Regent as “Deathbringer Dragonlord” and “Dragonlord’s Reaper” due to an imperfect translation. Consider this note a correction.

What are you waiting for? Give a listen to “(Elder Dragon) Dragonlord Silumgar & More Dragons of Tarkir” now!

Direct Download

Want to hear more from these guys?

Patrick’s Magic: The Gathering Books

Michael’s Magic: The Gathering Books

, , ,
Posted on