About Joel Calafell
Joel Calafell
Joel is a Level 6 Pro Player from Spain who helped develop well-known combo decks such as Cephalid Breakfast or the
recent Cascade Swans, he loves playing almost every format and has a number of high-profile finishes under his belt:
- Top 8 Pro Tour Kuala Lumpur
- Winner Grand Prix Barcelona
- Three Grand Prix Top 8
- 65 Lifetime Pro Points
- Level 6 Pro Players Club member
Standard Roundup
Worlds is coming up this week, and with Pro
Tour Austin having just showcased the Extended format, it seems like everyone
is aiming at Standard which is still an unexplored format.
This might
be one of the most aggressive formats we have seen in a very long time. Control
decks have barely made an appearance after the rotation, and the same thing
like in Shards block is happening again: Only marginal decks like Cascade
control have found a decent plan trying to beat all those fast decks.
That’s right; this might be the worst format
ever for control decks, as even cards like Day of Judgment are hardly seeing play. There are not even good counterspells and one for one trades with
removal are quite useless against decks with multiple Planeswalkers or a lot of
2 for 1 spells thanks to cards like Blightning or Bloodbraid Elf.
The
Big Players
Jund
This means that Jund aggro has reached the top
of the metagame, clearly dominating it and many people consider it to be the
best deck in the format. German pro player and rookie of the year hopeful Lino
Burgold drew a nice overview to illustrate the matchups of Jund:
Jund matchups (c) by Lino Burgold
For weeks everybody has been trying to beat it with
different approaches. However, nobody has really succeeded. The nature of Jund
makes it resilient enough in almost any situation. What can you do when you
face the best creatures and arguably the best spells in the format? Bloodbraid Elf and Sprouting Thrinax might just be some of the most difficult to deal with
creatures ever printed.
This decklist forms part of my latest feature article:
With Worlds on the horizon, Level 6 pro Joel Calafell takes a detailed look at the current state of Standard and presents a
comprehensive nine-deck gauntlet, along with thoughts on each deck.
| Colors |
|---|
| Gold | 27 |
|---|
| Green | 2 |
|---|
| Land | 25 |
|---|
| Red | 6 |
|---|
| Converted Mana Cost |
|---|
| 1 | 4 |
|---|
| 2 | 6 |
|---|
| 3 | 13 |
|---|
| 4 | 6 |
|---|
| 5 | 3 |
|---|
| 6 | 3 |
|---|
| Type |
|---|
| Basic Land | 10 |
|---|
| Creature | 15 |
|---|
| Instant | 11 |
|---|
| Land | 15 |
|---|
| Planeswalker | 2 |
|---|
| Sorcery | 7 |
|---|
Eldrazi Elves
However some other decks have made an
appearance, trying to show their potential. This is the case with the Eldrazi Elves
deck, whicht has skyrocketed up to the second most played deck.
But what makes this deck that good?
It’s the synergy in it. It is full of small
creatures mixed with the power of the Planeswalkers and Oran-Rief, the Vastwood, a card that might end up claiming the title of best land in the
format plus the game breaking Eldrazi Monument, have turned this deck into a
solid aggro machine, able to face Jund with the help of Nissa Revane and their
chosen.
There are actually different ways to build the
elf deck, but it seems like Eldrazi Monument is definitely the way to go. Although,
there are some RG versions out there with Lightning Bolts, Burst Lightning and Bloodbraid Elf, that play with the 12 Planeswalkers. This version, is trying to
be even more aggressive.
This decklist forms part of my latest feature article:
With Worlds on the horizon, Level 6 pro Joel Calafell takes a detailed look at the current state of Standard and presents a
comprehensive nine-deck gauntlet, along with thoughts on each deck.
| Colors |
|---|
| Artifact | 3 |
|---|
| Green | 33 |
|---|
| Land | 24 |
|---|
| Converted Mana Cost |
|---|
| 1 | 6 |
|---|
| 2 | 8 |
|---|
| 3 | 7 |
|---|
| 4 | 9 |
|---|
| 5 | 6 |
|---|
| Type |
|---|
| Artifact | 3 |
|---|
| Basic Land | 20 |
|---|
| Creature | 26 |
|---|
| Land | 4 |
|---|
| Planeswalker | 7 |
|---|
RW Aggro
The last of the big decks is clearly RW aggro
(or Boros), filled with Plated Geopedes and Steppe Lynx paired with Goblin Guide and Elite Vanguard, as the best one mana drops available. Everything is
powered by Fetchlands and some burn spells. This might actually be the fastest
aggro deck in the format, as both Elves and Jund try to establish control of
the board sooner or later in the game. That mid-range spirit doesn’t really
make them that fast, while Boros is the only true aggro deck in the format.
Sweep away some blockers, try to hit for a lot of damage starting as early as
turn one, and follow it all up with the late game power of Ranger of Eos into Goblin Bushwhacker.
I told you, this deck is fast! But still, the
deck hasn’t found a way to reliably beat Elves or even Jund if we consider
sideboard hate like Jund Charm which spells a lot of trouble for Boros. Those
factors keep this archetype from being the top deck of the format but it’s
still in a very respectable third place. And trust me, it’s one of those decks you
have to be prepared for and respect.
This decklist forms part of my latest feature article:
With Worlds on the horizon, Level 6 pro Joel Calafell takes a detailed look at the current state of Standard and presents a
comprehensive nine-deck gauntlet, along with thoughts on each deck.
| Converted Mana Cost |
|---|
| 1 | 26 |
|---|
| 2 | 8 |
|---|
| 4 | 3 |
|---|
| Type |
|---|
| Basic Land | 7 |
|---|
| Creature | 25 |
|---|
| Instant | 12 |
|---|
| Land | 16 |
|---|
The Underdogs
Then we have all the decks that either try to
beat the big decks or just try to find a different game plan that doesn’t seem
to be that aggressive. I would say none of them actually beats Jund reliably
enough, but they are for sure decent options for this metagame.
Vampires
The Vampire deck tries to control the board and
create some card advantage with Mind Sludge and cards like Gatekeeper of Malakir, but the mechanic is a bit too slow for this format. Vampire Nocturnous
is really the card that makes this deck good and it’s hard to win games without
it. Although it has Vampire Lacerator and Vampire Hexmage, the creatures are
just not big enough to combat opposing Jund creatures, so I don’t really think
this deck stands much of a chance in the format.
This decklist forms part of my latest feature article:
With Worlds on the horizon, Level 6 pro Joel Calafell takes a detailed look at the current state of Standard and presents a
comprehensive nine-deck gauntlet, along with thoughts on each deck.
| Colors |
|---|
| Artifact | 1 |
|---|
| Black | 35 |
|---|
| Land | 24 |
|---|
| Converted Mana Cost |
|---|
| 1 | 2 |
|---|
| 2 | 15 |
|---|
| 3 | 4 |
|---|
| 4 | 8 |
|---|
| 5 | 7 |
|---|
| Type |
|---|
| Artifact | 1 |
|---|
| Basic Land | 16 |
|---|
| Creature | 23 |
|---|
| Instant | 6 |
|---|
| Land | 8 |
|---|
| Sorcery | 6 |
|---|
Cascade Control
Then we have decks like Cascade Control, just
like in Shards Block, which try to gain advantage of the same mechanic that really
makes Jund shine: Cascade. But this time using more powerful late game cards
like Enlisted Wurm or Baneslayer Angel, for many the best creature in the
format by far. Blightning is still a major problem for this type of deck.
Bant, Mono White, Mono Red
Other options include Bant, Mono White control
or even Mono Red. They all claim to have a decent Jund matchup, but the truth is
that it’s almost impossible to have more than 50% against it. Sometimes the
deck just has sick draws. Like Lino Burgold says: You just have to choose to
what kind of Jund aggro start you want to lose to: Either Putrid Leech, Sprouting Thrinax, and Bloodbraid Elf into Sprouting Thrinax, or Putrid Leech, Blightning
and then Bloodbraid Elf into Blightning :). If you are an aggro deck, you will
lose to the first draw, if you are combo or control you will just lose to the
second draw...
Bant and Monowhite have in common that they play
protection creatures, either in the form of pro-red –Vedalken Outlanders- or
pro-black –White Knight, Great Sable Stag and sometimes Devout Lightcaster-,
but everybody knows the best protection is actually the one from demons and dragons. In the end that only means you will have a worse matchup against decks
that don’t even include those colours. So is it really worth it?
I’m pretty sure there are many options for
these decks, and that builds can go in different directions, but I’d say some
standard builds could look like this:
This decklist forms part of my latest feature article:
With Worlds on the horizon, Level 6 pro Joel Calafell takes a detailed look at the current state of Standard and presents a
comprehensive nine-deck gauntlet, along with thoughts on each deck.
| Colors |
|---|
| Blue | 3 |
|---|
| Gold | 16 |
|---|
| Green | 9 |
|---|
| Land | 24 |
|---|
| White | 8 |
|---|
| Converted Mana Cost |
|---|
| 1 | 8 |
|---|
| 2 | 10 |
|---|
| 3 | 14 |
|---|
| 5 | 4 |
|---|
| Type |
|---|
| Artifact Creature | 4 |
|---|
| Basic Land | 10 |
|---|
| Creature | 21 |
|---|
| Instant | 8 |
|---|
| Land | 14 |
|---|
| Sorcery | 3 |
|---|
This decklist forms part of my latest feature article:
With Worlds on the horizon, Level 6 pro Joel Calafell takes a detailed look at the current state of Standard and presents a
comprehensive nine-deck gauntlet, along with thoughts on each deck.
| Colors |
|---|
| Artifact | 1 |
|---|
| Land | 26 |
|---|
| White | 33 |
|---|
| Converted Mana Cost |
|---|
| 1 | 4 |
|---|
| 2 | 11 |
|---|
| 3 | 7 |
|---|
| 4 | 6 |
|---|
| 5 | 4 |
|---|
| 9 | 2 |
|---|
| Type |
|---|
| Artifact | 3 |
|---|
| Basic Land | 23 |
|---|
| Creature | 10 |
|---|
| Enchantment | 7 |
|---|
| Instant | 6 |
|---|
| Land | 3 |
|---|
| Planeswalker | 2 |
|---|
| Sorcery | 6 |
|---|
This decklist forms part of my latest feature article:
With Worlds on the horizon, Level 6 pro Joel Calafell takes a detailed look at the current state of Standard and presents a
comprehensive nine-deck gauntlet, along with thoughts on each deck.
| Converted Mana Cost |
|---|
| 1 | 15 |
|---|
| 2 | 8 |
|---|
| 3 | 9 |
|---|
| 4 | 4 |
|---|
| Type |
|---|
| Basic Land | 12 |
|---|
| Creature | 21 |
|---|
| Instant | 9 |
|---|
| Land | 12 |
|---|
| Sorcery | 6 |
|---|
Others: Valakut Combo and Unearth
There are also some other interesting decks in
the format, which at first look quite narrow, but I’m pretty sure they might
have something to say at Worlds if people just find the correct builds. Some
months ago, one of the decks that was considered to be a potential contender
after the rotation, was Time Sieve, as it looked like an aggro metagame was
developing, and a combo like that could actually end up being the perfect
answer to the format. However, the deck suffered from random hate in the form
of Jund Charm, Pithing Needle, Thought Hemorrhage, and even something as simple
as Duress could keep you from going off. This means that even if you have a
good game 1 against Jund, the whole matchup would still not be as good as
expected.
But it seems like right now there are other
deck which are getting even more hype. I’m not talking about Cruel Control
decks, or Planeswalker decks, as they are hardly the answers to the format.
I’m actually talking about the Unearth deck,
and the RG Valakut combo deck. The first thing I’d like to say, is that, after
all, they are not really pure combo decks, as the only thing they do is either
generate big quantities of mana or just focus on triggering Valakut many times
and as fast as possible, but never going infinite and I don’t think that is
needed anyway.
What makes those decks work, is the fact, that
their game plan is not affected by the most played cards in the format – if Goblin Ruinblaster doesn’t become too popular, that is. They both have their engine
centered around having a specific land in play and try to abuse its ability.
This means that they dodge cards like Maelstrom Pulse, Terminate or Bituminous Blast, and of course, in case of the graveyard deck, Blightning as well. Let’s
look at the Valakut deck for instance:
This decklist forms part of my latest feature article:
With Worlds on the horizon, Level 6 pro Joel Calafell takes a detailed look at the current state of Standard and presents a
comprehensive nine-deck gauntlet, along with thoughts on each deck.
| Colors |
|---|
| Artifact | 4 |
|---|
| Gold | 4 |
|---|
| Green | 12 |
|---|
| Land | 25 |
|---|
| Red | 15 |
|---|
| Converted Mana Cost |
|---|
| 1 | 8 |
|---|
| 2 | 8 |
|---|
| 3 | 8 |
|---|
| 4 | 4 |
|---|
| 5 | 4 |
|---|
| 8 | 3 |
|---|
| Type |
|---|
| Artifact | 4 |
|---|
| Basic Land | 14 |
|---|
| Creature | 12 |
|---|
| Enchantment | 4 |
|---|
| Instant | 11 |
|---|
| Land | 11 |
|---|
| Sorcery | 4 |
|---|
As you can see, half of the cards focus on
searching for multiple Mountains, or Valakut itself, to make sure you reach the
magical number of 5 Mountains as soon as possible. When you get to that point, Khalni Heart Expedition and Harrow become insane sources of damage with
Valakut, and all that is backed up with all-stars like Siege-Gang Commander or Bogardan Hellkite and I have also seen some lists with Lavaball Trap, so the
deck doesn’t really look that different from a mana ramp list, other than the
fact that it has an incredibly strong and resilient late game plan based on the
power of the volcano land.
On the other side, we have the Unearth.dec,
which seems to be gaining in popularity recently. Based on the abusive mana
advantage that Crypt of Agadeem can provide with enough black creatures in your
graveyard, the deck just tries to fill that zone as fast as possible with cyclers, Hedron Crabs and other options, like Tome Scour, Merfolk Looter or even Traumatize. Afterwards the deck just generates a ridiculous amount of mana and
tries to unearth Extractor Demon followed by multiple other creatures with the
same ability, which will eventually trigger the big demon’s ability when they
leave play at end of turn. In a normal game, that should just be enough to mill
an opponent… But there is also space for some interesting tricks in the form of Fatestitcher which untaps Crypt of Agadeem and you can use it on the same turn
it came into play- and Kederekt Leviathan, to reset the board and get rid of
any problematic permanent in play.
This decklist forms part of my latest feature article:
With Worlds on the horizon, Level 6 pro Joel Calafell takes a detailed look at the current state of Standard and presents a
comprehensive nine-deck gauntlet, along with thoughts on each deck.
| Colors |
|---|
| Black | 20 |
|---|
| Blue | 11 |
|---|
| Gold | 8 |
|---|
| Land | 18 |
|---|
| Converted Mana Cost |
|---|
| 1 | 8 |
|---|
| 2 | 8 |
|---|
| 4 | 10 |
|---|
| 5 | 8 |
|---|
| 6 | 4 |
|---|
| 8 | 1 |
|---|
| Type |
|---|
| Artifact Creature | 4 |
|---|
| Basic Land | 4 |
|---|
| Creature | 27 |
|---|
| Land | 14 |
|---|
| Sorcery | 8 |
|---|
Conclusion
We will just have to see how the format
develops in the following week. There’s no doubt that Putrid Leech and Bloodbraid Elf will keep dominating the format, but we’ll have to wait to see
if someone comes up with an answer. Meanwhile, I’d take a look at the new and interesting
decks and maybe we will see a new deck rise to the top.
Worlds will have the final word.
See you in Rome!
Joel
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my friend just made a copy of Eldrazi Green and was going on about it. I have a somewhat similar concept deck and we played I stomped him two in a row
U/G Modern Super Grow
4 Lorescale Coatl 3 Turntimber Ranger 3 Umara Raptor 3 Sea Gate Loremaster 3 Oran-Rief Survivalist 2 Rampaging Baloths
1 Garruk Wildspeaker 1 Jace Beleren 2 Divination 2 Sleep 4 Howling Mine 2 Eldrazi Monument 1 Clone 4 Cancel 3 Spell Pierce
4 Terramorphic Expanse 2 Gargoyle Castle 2 Misty Rainforest 8 Island 8 Forest
Sidebar 2 Tajuru Archer 2 Scute Mob 1 Mind Spring 1 Rite of Replication 3 Overrun 2 Trapfinder's Trick 2 Bountiful Harvest 2 Naturalize
The Valakut Combo Deck cost like $50 wow!
Haven't we played MTG long enought to find out that those one straight way winning conditions that surprises the crowd are so oftenly broken apart when we seek and remove the key cards in the Eldrazi Monument & Nissa to prevent the combo from ever taking place. Jund Aggro now is like the Old Bant Combo in Alara - T1 Noble, T2 Rhox war monk and T3 Raqif but in Jund now, It's the leech and thranix and elf taking the ball in a similar way/effect. Honestly, Bant would be so much better with fetch lands, Steppe Lynx, Nobles, Baneslayer, Rafiq, Knight of the Reliquary and Draw card spells to be a solid deck in playing Jund or other Aggro decks. The need more Pro this and that just slow Bant of being semi Exalted to boost Steppe Lynx, Knight of the Reliquary, Rafiq and Baneslayer as finishers.
Jimmymare well the Eldrazi Green just won a 5K tournament...explain that...
Explain? Well, 1st you can see both cards were not expected to do well at the early release stage - just like Baneslayer Angel and We didn't see a big Growth in JUND deck until Zendikar while the deck already long existed in Alara Block. One way winning conditions and not enough Artifacts and Planeswalkers removals packed in a deck would simply lose to the Eldrazi Green deck. Honestly, the Eldrazi can fit into any Token creating decks that contains Elspeth, Nissa, Ant Queen and so on - Hence my question here is what happens if a player is prepared with Qasali Pridemage x 4, Oblivion Ring x 4 and Path to Exile x 4 and hits with Aggro 1 drop or 2 drop creatures? I don't expect Eldrazi Green to hold once the strategy is bolding studied here - Just like the release of Turbo Fog in a few months ago in Japan; sure it was a great winning deck but the key winning cards are limited to 3 or maybe lesser... just like the Eldrazi Green here. One time Big win, then studied and broken up. Nonetheless, Token created for sac each turn to fund a super creature or gain a winning condition goes way back into the days of "Lord of the Pit" 7/7 black creature with flying and trample and requires to sac a creature each turn... don't sac u get 7 damage punched to owner's face.. however Breeding pit creates a Throll token each turn to sac for it. It was a Great creature for black in those day and there was so little creatures with flying and trample. An classic example of how Eldrazi Green wins by a old tactic to create more tokens to fund the winning condition. Given the fact u know your other players are using Eldrazi Green against you, would you not put any removals for Plainswalkers or Artifacts?
Oh I agree, however it still won. You can't take that away. The pair of players playing it caught the metagame unprepared.
Yup, given the fact that Artifacts and Plainswalker combos were NEVER a winning condition before, and Nissa's ability to drag an elf out, plus Nissa's chosen to fly back to the library.. its a self bomb to drag out all elves and let them fly free. Wicked and yet people went into the game without thinking it would happen... I just wonder why it was not a White base deck? With Elspeth, Giving white soliders deck a boost and let them fly, 1st strike and Viligence and +1/+1 with Captain of the watch and many other kor soliders a push. As Soliders/kor give 1st strike and produce more tribal and tokens than elves would for now.
Oh I've been thinking of Kor Eldrazi and with that you get the removal for anti artifact creatures....but still busy working on my Merrfolk and U/G Super Grow Decks
As said before, it's still best to study the metagame and understand them and prepare your side board against troublesome decks;while not losing your own set of unique ideas of winning. If possible, instead of following the thread of e.g Eldrazi Green and Jund, you can come up with never used before winning strategy and test them out 1st before hitting the official games.
I just tried the mono white deck and beat jund 3 matches in a row. Thank you iona!
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