Insights into Standard.

With the new standard format still fairly new there is still a lot to figure out as far as what deck you want to play, which cards are good, and which cards are not really all that good. There is just so many different decks and cool ideas. So I am just going to offer some insight on what I think are the best cards to play and talk about what I think the best deck in standard is. I will also cover the cards that seem neat, but we should stay away from.



The last few weeks I have had the opportunity to do a lot of testing. Playing at states gave me a chance to realize that some cards are much better and some are much worse than originally anticipated. First I want to cover the top 5 creatures in current standard.

1. Frost Titan- First thing in the morning someone was being a bit excessive with how “ridiculous” this card was and I made a joke at it. Now I’m biting my toungue cause this guy is actually just ridiculous.  The obvious reason that he his so good the 6/6 body, and the fact that EACH time you target him you have to pay two. But that he taps a permanent and which usually means that you need to leave up at least four mana to Condemn him. It would cost you two Valukut triggers and four mana to kill him. That’s just if you don’t have a counter. Also he is very good against other midrange decks because he just taps their best guy and continues to grind.

2. Primeval Titan- This guy is just still good because you can play him in multiple tier one decks and he is a staple in all the green ramp decks from mono green Eldrazi to Valukut. Just all around good man.

3. Wurmcoil Engine- First Scars cards that I am going to talk about. I did a lot of testing with this guy and against this guy. He is the definition of a value bomb. Against the decks with wrath effects he turns into two guys. He also trades well with Titans. The big thing with this card is he is one of those creatures that you can top deck and get back in the game due to the lifelink, and with deathtouch he makes combat awkward for you opponents. The biggest plus from this guy is he is colorless so you can play him in any deck.

4. Oracle of Mul Daya-although this guy may not be as versatile as the Titans and the Engine, Oracle is an extremely important part of the deck he is in and without this guy the deck (Valukut) would lose a lot of power. Plus I may be a bit biased because I love this card.

5. Molten-Tail Masticore- The second Scars card to be mention, the reason I put him as number five is because I am still a bit unsure about him. I think he still needs a real home to reach his max potential and I have not seen that deck yet. This guy is a 4/4 with regeneration which is good on it’s own. The real power with the Masticore is the 4 damage ability which is just insane, although there is the obvious drawback of the discard on upkeep. In the right deck though this drawback will be irrelevant because your just going to discard a creature and deal 4 to your opponent.

Now lets move on to the top 5 non-creature permanents.

1. Jace, the Mind Sculptor- I don’t think that I need to explain that this is the obviously best permanent. Actually it is EASILY the best card in standard. We have all experienced Jace's power firsthand.

2. Everflowing Chalice- I don't know why this isn’t the second best non-creature permanent on everyone else's list. Chalice continues to be a staple in control and mid-range decks.

3. Volitions Reins- I’ve been on board with Reins since I found out it was being printed. But man, actually seeing this card in play and being used, I am even more on board with it if you can be on board with something more than all the way. All blue control decks should consider this card.

4. Chandra of Nalaar- This card as been waiting, waiting, and waiting and maybe even waiting a little beyond that for its time. And that time has come. I played her in a mono red control deck at States and she was insane. She is equally insane in Destructive Force decks. Decks that are red focused should be considering her.

5. Man-lands. The best ones being Celestial Colonnade, and Raging Ravine. But all the other ones will find their home.

Honorable mentions creatures- Goblin Guide, Chimeric Mass, Inferno Titan, Avenger of Zendikar, and the Tarastadon a.k.a The Don.

Honorable mention non-creature permanents- Garruk Wildspeaker, Eldrazi Monument, and Brittle Effigy.

Also I want to throw in that Contagion Clasp is not near as good as I originally had anticipated. I should have listen to Kurtis Droge and taken it out of my states deck because I boarded it out every time.

Now I will post what I think the best deck in standard is which is U/R/G destructive force.

URG Destructive Force | The Rusty Machete

7 Creatures:  
3 Primeval Titan
3 Frost Titan
1 Inferno Titan

26 Spells:  
4 Preordain
4 Cultivate
4 Mana leak
3 Lighting Bolt
3 Destructive
2 Into the Roil
3 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
3 Garruk wildspeaker

27 Lands:  
4 Raging Ravine
4 Scalding Tarns
2 Copperline Gorge
2 Misty Rainforest
2 Evolving Wild
5 Island
5 Forest
3 Mountain

0 Sideboard:  

This deck is just so good because it has many different lines of play. You can be the aggressive deck, ramping up and playing a bomb; or you can be the control deck, playing one thing at a time and have them try to beat it. But where you really want to be with this deck is the midrange-control deck. Also this deck plays some of the best creatures and with the arrival of Preordain this deck has actually gains a tremendous amount of playability, because Preordain is exactly the one-drop the deck needed to add consistency.

With that note I am going to wrap up. My insights could be wrong but I am sticking to what I said.