12 Notorious Cards to Rock MTG Gold Rush

This is Will's closer for a series of articles meant to help with everyone's cram towards MTG Gold Rush 2012. This post was first published in the Neutral Grounds website.

12 Notorious Cards to Rock MTG Gold Rush
A 12/12/12 Special

12/12/12 happened and despite this having absolutely no relevance to anything I can think of, I am writing in lieu of this occasion per recomedation of Kap Leorenz Jamias – I’m relieved that Sir Freddie Tan approved an article like this. I will try to make it as relevant as possible, especially for everyone preparing for this Saturday’s big event at Glorietta. I don’t think I’ve written a Top-X list ever in my writing career so excuse my virgin attempt at this.

Introduction:
Standard today is as awesome as it is overwhelming. Deck designing and metagaming is vibrant as any competitive enthusiast can ask it to be. The following factors are responsible for such an exciting, and overall taxing, tournament environment:

• The enabling component of shocklands
• Just looking at the flexibility of multi-colored charms point everyone to go multi-color, not to mention power cards printed in gold
• Shocks allow and players to explore more and more strategies and synergies among and across colors – also, the best card interactions so far are spread across colors (Staticaster + Peddler, Red Looting + Unburial Rites)
• The limitation of counter-magic
• Great spells and creatures aren’t any good if they are countered and today’s metagame isn’t really the time to deck in too many of such
• A creature-based metagame
• The high quality of creatures at almost all points of the mana curve which predisposes two situations:
• Agro is able to, and is even forced to, adapt midrange games
• Control employs creatures of their own for survival and, also, as ways to win
• Games are usually decided during midgame
• Every strategy has tools available both for reach and survival

Redundant as it may sound, every game of Standard today is like playing rock-paper-scissors in as much as deck builders are faced to make a choice into playing one type of strategy that is strong and well-positioned against X but auto-losses to Y. There have been times when a deck such as Affinity or, more recently familiar, Delver was dominating so effectively across the metagame. Today’s situation isn’t close to anything like that entirely.

While it is mind-twisting as it is, it is far from being impossible to understand. This list should provide everyone a better picture of what to expect at MTG Gold Rush. This is not to say that these are necessarily the format’s most broken ones – I don’t hope to make a list and succeed without being swamped with the preference and superior analysis of the more awesome minds out there. So, now that I feel better (not to mention safer) about making this list given that disclaimer, let me present a dozen of nastiest guns likely to show up at MTG Gold Rush 2012 listed, in order of relevance, from least to super.

Hellrider
There’s a reason why this guy’s local price tag is now P300 (it sold for as low as P300 a set when RTR rotated in). Hellrider is where agro decks start their midrange game. Regardless of what other critters hit the board for opening, a follow-up like hell Rider forces opponents into tough decisions. Why not Aristocrat? The difference is very close. Falkenrath Aristocrat wins with evasion and survivability. Hellrider wins with its sheer damage potential. But when you think about a scenario when you are given two of either, wouldn’t you ask for a pair of riders? Tragic Slip and Izzet Staticaster are likely to be in decks this Saturday and Falkenrath Aristocrat is going to face lots of bad positions.

Slaughter Games
The go-to card when trying to stop Bant or Flash from being effective at what they do. Late game is awesome for these decks so a hastily resolved Slaughter Games should hamper them a bit, while the second would mean utter ruin. It would have made it to a higher slot if it wasn’t a sideboard entry.

Terminus
With Undying and Reanimation strategies sure to be around, sending hordes to the yard may not be enough. Terminus should make a comeback into decks to support defensive strategies.

Detention Sphere
I believe this card will have a decent target against anyone. Maindecking a few of these may prove worthwhile since enchantment removal never comes before sideboarding (for most people) and it is a good answer to critters who continue their nuisance despite destruction.

 


Izzet Staticaster
My personal pet card. I feel she deserves main deck presence given especially in today’s metagame. She makes all of your removal burn spells more potent. A real Class-A card. You know what I mean when you’ve seen two copies of this on one side of the board.

Sigarda, Host of Herons
There are still very few solutions for Sigarda. Halts mutiny sprees. She is so good, she has rendered many cards as could-have-beens by keeping them out of circulation. She is one hell of a beater but with the terrible position of GW as of current, she might end up in Bant and Naya sideboards.

Geist of Saint Traft
When he hits the board on schedule, he rarely misses the deadline to deal lethal. Sigarda would have been better if she was blue, too. He will remain as a build-around this Saturday.

Thundermaw Hellkite
The true midrange uhmp for fire mages. It flies over Thrags, taps Sigarda and the rest of the Charlie clique, and seems broken for its mana cost. We will see this red tyrant in aggressive UWR and as finisher for Zombies and Rakdos agro.

Huntmaster of the Fells
The usual comparison is with Thragtusk, who, on the surface, provides automatic survivability, is a wee bit tougher and definitely packs more punch. Conversely, if both creatures just stand and remain on the board, Huntmaster becomes control over weenies, has the potential of creating more tokens – something that Thragtusk does not really have although swinging for five really isn’t bad at all. Of course, there isn’t much gain at casting Mark of Mutiny on this guy compared with the disastrous effects if such was cast on Thrag.

Cavern of Souls
I wasn’t about to notch down Cavern for any creature since this card has single-handedly ensured that rotating into Ravnica was going to be about critter strategies. Cavern is the same reason why countermagic isn’t even trying to deny anything with printed power and toughness. This is likely to be in everyone’s deck.

Unburial Rites
Reanimator strategies of Critter-Hoof and Angel-pulled Human Horde are allegedly easy to deal with. Good luck with that. Mainboarding hate cards that are exclusive for this strategy is to ensure that dead cards haunt you the whole tournament and isn’t in order at all. By the time sideboards are clinched, they have the option of transforming into something that can either a) deal with yard hate or b) combat with a totally different strategy. Unburial Rites makes all of this possible. Backed with the right dredging, these decks are bound to make a buzz this year at MTG Gold Rush.

Sphinx’s Revelation
Finally, here is the reason every person playing UW is so damn confident going into each match. There is barely anything else to say about this card except that it is best served with ramp.

Here is a short list of remarkable notables that might make it to decks this weekend:

Wolfir Avenger – the option to cast at Flash speed has proven to be tactically rewarding. Stops Thragtusk with a pinch of surprise.

Jace, Memory Adept – since people are willing to mill their own nowadays, why not help them out with 10 a turn? Jace MA can instantly ruin Bant and Flash with the amount of mill it can generate – the same effect can be produced by Sands of Delirium with less cost and relative ease to resolve.

Alchemist Refuge – there may be a need to sweep at flash speed

Izzet Charm – well-positioned in a metagame where countermagic is at a clunk. Can stop spells like Sphinx’s Revelation and Unburial Rites while doubling as removal for smaller bodies.

Appetite for Brains – can rid hands of build-arounds. Excellent disruption. Does not work against Revelation – use with Duress.

Rakdos Keyrune – has found its place outside of Jund and is currently making waves. Evades sweepers, blocks Thragtusk, provides ramp for non-green decks.

Burning Oil – has enough for Thrag (yup I just write that down again) and its token and can shoot down Thundermaw Hellkite with enough mana up.

I feel that the following have less luster in the current metagame:

Lingering Souls – Staticaster, Thundermaw Hellkite
Thragtusk – See above (all of it)
Supreme Verdict – See Terminus
Gravecrawler et al – Izzet Staticaster, Pillar of Flame, faster red-based decks.
Sublime Archangel and Silverblade Paladin – Sideboarding against GW is easy and tempo is easily taken from them. Also, their strategy is too convenient to check.

I will be at Neutral Grounds Alabang Town Center for FNM and I doubt I will have time or energy to write after. So I guess this will be the last article I will be releasing in time to help everyone with their preparations for MTG Gold Rush 2012.

I would like to thank the following peeps who shared their thoughts through survey:

Andrew Cantillana
Lem Francisco
Jan Vincent Soliman Tan
Eric Baluyut
Uncle Reily Jamias
Gabe Enriquez
Charlie Caban
Joel Gallego
Stephen Jan Gumabao
Wesley Marquez-Lim
Marco Aventajado
Mikee Lorenzo Geluz
Ian Zachary Robles Chanco
Generay Quintos
Erik Bondoc
Ron Abanes Moreno
Kevin Gonzales
and Sir Freddie Tan who I must thank double for the reminder that all of it starts with the basics.

Thanks for reading and good luck to everyone at the FNMs and, more importantly, at this year’s MTG Gold Rush. One more stare at that ring!