Introduction
As it was so kindly pointed out to me, the meta for this format can’t really be known until MTGO events start happening with SHM added to the barely developed LRW block. Disregarding that, I can still make educated guesses on what decks are good and some of what will be played at the earliest PTQ events and at GP Birmingham. Whatever other guesses people make, though, it is a surety that the main deck to beat will be Faeries with the runner up being various Elf builds. Dealing with these two decks is a necessity and if you can’t, there isn’t really any point in trying to win at any higher level tournament. I’ll give each of the decks their time with a little bit of an explanation to how it works and different variations, then put forth my decklist that I think should deal well with both.
Faeries
Faerie decks are pretty straightforward for anyone who has played type 2 at all in the last few months. The deck is an aggro permission deck that wins through card advantage, tempo or just efficient flyers and the best two drop in block (Hint: It costs 1B). A pretty standard build would be something like this:
4 Mistbind Clique
4 Pestermite
4 Scion of Oona
2 Shriekmaw
2 Sower of Temptation
4 Spellstutter Sprite
4 Cryptic Command
4 Nameless Inversion
4 Thoughtseize
4 Bitterblossom
7 Island
4 Mutavault
2 Reflecting Pool
4 Secluded Glen
4 Sunken Ruins
3 Swamp
Many builds run ponder over Thoughtseize, but in the current meta, I think that Thoughtseize is probably the better choice, especially in the mirror which I get the feeling will happen often. As well, many versions run Vendilion Clique and/or Broken Ambitions, serving the purpose of clearing out an opponents threat while still providing an efficient beater with a good clock and dealing with early opponent spells/threats respectively. These choices are left up to you to read into your local meta as each version has its strengths and weaknesses against certain decks. Most versions run removal in the SB to deal with decks such as elementals and kithkin.
Elves
There are two main Elf decks being played right now (or at least doing well). The Gb more controlling version with good amounts of removal and hand/board control and the highly aggressive Gw version, most with the Wilt-Leaf Liege and Mirrorweave combo. The Gw version looks capable of being the better list against Faeries and in the current overall metagame, with a sample list looking like:
4 Elvish Hexhunter
3 Heritage Druid
4 Imperious Perfect
3 Safehold Elite
4 Wilt-Leaf Cavaliers
4 Wilt-Leaf Liege
4 Wolf-Skull Shaman
4 Wren's Run Vanquisher
3 Mirrorweave
4 Oblivion Ring
8 Forest
3 Mutavault
3 Plains
3 Reflecting Pool
3 Vivid Grove
3 Wooded Bastion
The deck runs 8 ways of dealing with Bitterblossom as well as an extremely fast clock with the liege and cards like Wren’s Run Vanquisher and Wolf-Skull Shaman. A Mirrorweave on a Wilt-Leaf Liege usually means the end for the opponent and makes the deck have a very consistent 5th turn win. This deck list is being run by one of my testing amigos.
The Gb version of the deck wins more through attrition then fast beats, but is still very capable of lightning fast starts with Bramblewood Paragons, Wren’s Run Vanquishers and Imperious Perfects. With a powerful finisher in Profane Command and a solid removal package with Nameless Inversion, Shriekmaw and Eyeblight’s ending, this deck can handle most comers (Except Chameleon Colossus, that’s a bit harder). A list for this deck would look like:
4 Bramblewood Paragon
3 Chameleon Colossus
4 Imperious Perfect
2 Kitchen Finks
1 Masked Admirers
2 Shriekmaw
4 Wren's Run Vanquisher
2 Eyeblight's Ending
2 Nameless Inversion
2 Garruk Wildspeaker
2 Primal Command
3 Profane Command
4 Thoughtseize
3 Bitterblossom
7 Forest
4 Gilt-Leaf Palace
4 Mutavault
3 Reflecting Pool
4 Swamp
This deck has less answers to Bitterblossom, its only answer being to Thoughtseize it or to play one of their own and race. This weakness may cause this deck troubles right now, but small shifts in the deck and SB can shore up its weaknesses.
My Deck
I have to have a shameless displaying of my current deck, now don’t I? I have found this deck to be very powerful and able to deal with most opposing decks on anything but a terrible draw. The deck runs a ridiculous amount of removal to deal with the various creature decks, which happen to make up the entire format. The list is:
4 Doran, the Siege Tower
3 Leaf-Crowned Elder
4 Chameleon Colossus
4 Treefolk Harbinger
2 Profane Command
4 Nameless Inversion
4 Crib Swap
4 Oblivion Ring
3 Firespout
4 Fertile Ground
4 Murmuring Bosk
4 Auntie’s Hovel
4 Gilt-Leaf Palace
7 Forest
5 Plains
The mana base is a little off, but it is currently being worked on to be the most efficient it can be. The deck is surprising consistent with mana as the multitudes of changling spells (12) and treefolk spells (23) Make all of the non basic lands come into play untapped most of the time, making them generally better then vivid laps, whose CIPT has caused me untold grief. The deck has 11 cards that are good against Faeries (Firespout, Chameleon Colossus and Oblivion Ring) and the high levels of removal deal with all of the elf decks real threats (Lieges, Cavaliers, Wolf-Skull Shamans and Imperious Perfects). The Harbingers, removal and large toughness creatures deal with the weenie decks in requiring them to 2-1 just to kill your creatures, letting you Profane Command to kill one of their creatures and get back the Doran, Elder etc. The sideboard looks like this at the moment:
4 Elvish Hexhunter (Faeries/O-Rings)
3 Incremental Blight (Creature decks(1-sided wrath))
1 Firespout (Faeries/creatures)
4 Kitchen Finks
3 Faerie Macabre?(Mannequin/’Lark?) I don’t really know what to do with this slot.
The deck will require more testing, but so far it seems to have a slightly favourable matchup vs Faeries pre-board and a good one post board, as well as a favourable against Gb elves for both and even pre-board and slightly favourable post board against Gw Elves. I’ll be posting testing results after I get more of them the next time my testing chums get together.
Thanks for reading and I hope this has given you all a little food for thought.
-Mike
PS. I don’t particularly want Primal Command, but if someone sees a slot it would work better in, be sure to let me know!
Tags: Doran Treefolk Faeries Lorwyn Block Shadowmoor
