Standard Corner #9: Standard Before Avacyn Restored

Today's Standard Corner doesn't come from experience as the past few have, but from an analysis of the current metagame. Though I know the Avacyn Restored Pre-Release is scheduled for the end of the month, I figured today's article can serve as something of a snapshot of Standard before the next set changes.

Since the launch of Dark Ascension, we've seen tier 1 decks tweak their toolboxes and new decks prove themselves as significant players in the current meta. U/W Delver has gotten an incredible new toy in Lingering Souls--whose card advantage is enough that any deck even mildly supporting either White or Black is willing to splash for (see Esper-blade in Legacy) and Drogskol Captain, who buffs and protects the army. Wolf Run has gotten so much mileage out of Huntmaster of the Fells/Ravager of the fells that the deck is now called Wolf Run Ravager.

With these top decks in mind, new decks have risen that show how effective analyzing the metagame while building a deck can be. Solar Flare has since transformed into Frites (French Rites) by swapping out Blue and counter-magic in favor of Red and Whipflare/Slagstorm. Faithless Looting makes a suitable, more efficient replacement for Forbidden Alchemy and Inferno Titan is simply another finisher that doubles as a potential board wipe. U/B and B/R Zombies also had a strong run by simply playing stronger, removal-proof threats with Gravecrawler and Geralf's Messenger while having a faster clock with Brimstone Volley or Phantasmal Image copying the Messenger (for 2 mana Shock and play a threat that Shocks again when targeted; not bad).

Finally, the current contender for the best built-around-the-format would probably be R/G Aggro. Cards like Strangleroot Geist and Huntmaster of the Fells provide both tempo and card advantage--demanding two point-removal spells each--while support cards like Slagstorm and Daybreak Ranger help to quell swarms and individual fliers while not being useless in other match-ups (4/4 for three in control seems good and 3 damage to each player can be of use in a pinch). R/G Aggro currently has one of the best match-ups against U/W Delver, so keep this in mind before your next FNM.

That's it for your weekend update. Keep this in mind while retooling your current deck and keep an eye out for Avacyn Restored spoilers that might make good additions (or threats) to your deck. 'Til next time!

Interested in more Magic content? Check out the Standard Corner series on the MTG Casual Network Archive!

-Javier Remy

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