Here is a deck archetype wherein I still got my interest in the Standard format. Its core components are mostly from Kaladesh but with the help of some M19 cards, in particular, Sai, Master Thopterist, it was able to pull off a desirable performance.

The deck is called Mono Blue Reservoir and here below is the decklist:

20 LANDS
3 Arch of Orazca
2 Inventors’ Fair
11 Island
4 Zhalfirin Void

12 CREATURES
4 Glint-Nest Crane
4 Metalwork Colossus
4 Sai, Master Thopterist

5 INSTANTS and SORC.
4 Baral’s Expertise
1 One with the Machine

23 OTHER SPELLS
3 Aetherflux Reservoir
3 Cultivator’s Caravan
1 Gilded Lotus
2 Metalspinner’s Puzzleknot
2 Paradox Engine
4 Powerstone Shard
4 Prophetic Prism
4 Renegade Map

SIDEBOARD
3 Aether Meltdown
3 Karn, Scion of Urza
3 Metallic Rebuke
2 Negate
2 Sorcerous Spyglass
2 Walking Ballista

Source: http://mtgtop8.com/event?e=19725&d=326847&f=ST

Here is one decklist I decided to check when I heard it was mentioned in the coverage of Grand Prix Brussels that has been doing well in the top tables of the tournament. We know that God-Pharaoh’s Gift is just mainly Blue White but this list below took the Sultai route with access to powerful Green spells that are good GPG targets as well: Jadelight Ranger and Verdurous Gearhulk.

Here is the decklist below:

Lands
4 Aether Hub
4 Blooming Marsh
4 Botanical Sanctum
3 Forest
4 Ipnu Rivulet
2 Island
1 Hinterland Harbor
1 Swamp

Spells
4 Gate to the Afterlife
2 God-Pharaoh’s Gift

Creatures
3 Glint-Nest Crane
3 Hostage Taker
4 Champion of Wits
2 Jadelight Ranger
4 Llanowar Elves
4 Merfolk Branchwalker
2 Minister of Inquiries
1 Thrashing Brontodon
4 Verdurous Gearhulk
4 Walking Ballista

Sideboard
3 Aethersphere Harvester
1 Glint-Nest Crane
1 Hostage Taker
3 Jace’s Defeat
2 Manglehorn
2 Negate
1 Thrashing Brontodon
2 Vivien Reid

Source: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/archetype/standard-sultai-gpg#paper

I have been checking on MTG Canada for blog topic ideas, and they have a variety of topics in several formats, as well as discussions on play strategies. I found one of their recent topic for Standard detailing the possible return of the discard archetype in the format and based on this article here, I have come up with this decklist below:

Creatures
4 Fell Specter
2 Urgoros, the Empty One
3 Dread Shade
4 Kitesail Freebooter
4 Dreamstealer

Spells
2 The Eldest Reborn
2 Torment of Hailfire
4 Raiders’ Wake
2 Heartless Pillage
1 Walk the Plank
1 Cast Down
3 Duress
4 Harsh Scrutiny

Lands
22 Swamp
2 Cabal Stronghold

I have always thought of a way of using Thran Temporal Gateway in a Standard deck and one major reason is that I always open it in my Dominaria booster packs. The concept here is to cheat and bypass the cards’ mana costs and there is no better way than tapping just four mana. With the return of the Elder Dragons in Core Set 2019, I think it has opened a whole new batch of options to pass through the Gateway. Here below is the decklist I have come up with.

Creatures
1 Cataclysmic Gearhulk
4 Palladia-Mors, the Ruiner
3 Nicol Bolas, the Ravager
1 Chromium, the Mutable
1 The Scarab God
1 Noxious Gearhulk

Spells
1 Nicol Bolas, God-Pharaoh
2 Pull from Tomorrow
4 Thran Temporal Gateway
2 Vivien Reid
4 Gift of Paradise
2 Spring/Mind
1 Cleansing Nova
2 Settle the Wreckage
2 Ixalan’s Binding
1 Teferi, Hero of Dominaria
1 Fumigate
1 The Eldest Reborn
1 Thaumatic Compass/Spires of Orazca

Lands
1 Arch of Orazca
4 Botanical Sanctum
4 Irrigated Farmland
2 Sunpetal Grove
2 Hinterland Harbor
1 Swamp
2 Island
2 Rootbound Crag
3 Forest
1 Mountain
2 Plains
1 Field of Ruin

The Creatures:

Palladia-Mors, the Ruiner – The deck’s main hardhitter creature and can basically protect itself and can be ‘hasty’ with the gateway activation at end of opponents’ turn.

Nicol Bolas, the Ravager – With its ETB discard ability and gateway activation can get opponents to discard during their step and that you can activate its ability to turn into a planeswalker during your turn’s main phase.

Chromium, the Mutable – Another Elder Dragon option for control matchups and at times can be hard-casted as it is also uncounterable.

The Scarab God – With your mass removals dealing with the early threats, this guy can recur them late game and with enough mana. This I think is seldom to happen as my choice of removals were putting them to exile such as Settle the Wreckage and Ixalan’s Binding.

Gearhulks – the one-ofs Noxious Gearhulk and Cataclysmic Gearhulk are for situational purposes and later on can benefit from the third ability of The Eldest Reborn or that of The Scarab God recursion.

Most of the non-creature spells are used for ramping and mana color fixing along with mass removals and card draw. The planeswalkers are your additional option for the gateway drop along with single copy of The Eldest Reborn. I have though of gateway-ing Sagas are faster though the Reborn is the best choice for now.

Let me know of your ideas of this deck archetype and just hit them in the comment box below.

In an earlier chat discussion with Rey on the concept of an Aura deck in Standard, I have thought that Blue White is not the only option for this archetype. That is because Core Set 2019 has provided two relevant creatures that gains value with this build, namely Vine Mare and Satyr Enchanter. Going to the Green White route and coupled with the Cartouches in Amonkhet and a few new Aura options, I have formulated this decklist below.

Creatures
4 Novice Knight
4 Satyr Enchanter
4 Vine Mare
1 Lyra Dawnbringer
2 Danitha Capashen, Paragon
3 Sram, Senior Edificer
2 Shalai, Voice of Plenty

Spells
3 Blossoming Defense
2 Cartouche of Solidarity
2 Cast Out
4 Cartouche of Strength
2 On Serra’s Wings
1 Seal Away
2 Trial of Strength
1 Thopter Arrest

Lands
7 Plains
6 Forest
2 Tranquil Expanse
4 Sunpetal Grove
4 Scattered Groves

While watching the live coverage of the Pro Tour 25th Anniversary of Magic, I decided to do some deck techs based on the Standard decks played by the team during the second day of the tournament. They have mentioned builds such as the Turbo Fog Bant deck and the Paradoxical Outcome deck that combos out.

The first one utilized the boy-a-box card and in effect had spiked its price whereas the second is sort of a budget deck because of its mostly Commons components. That said, I have decided to go for a budget version of a tribal deck and the chosen tribe was Cats. Here below is a decklist:

Creatures
4 Ajani’s Pridemate
4 Adorned Pouncer
4 Sacred Cat
4 Leonin Vanguard
4 Leonin Warleader
4 Regal Caracal

Spells
2 Triumph of Gerrard
1 Vanquisher’s Banner
2 Trial of Solidarity
1 Thopter Arrest
3 Cast Out
4 Radiant Destiny

Lands
18 Plains
1 Memorial to Glory
4 Shefet Dunes

Summing up the average cost of the creatures, the total would be $15.08 with Leonin Warleader as the highest price of $5.6 for the playset (price sourced at TCG Player). As for the spells, the relevant card for its price would only be Radiant Destiny which costs around $3.0 each. The rest of the Uncommons of my card choices can be opened from booster packs or spare cards of your fellow players in your playgroup.

I would recommend the deck for starters of the game who would want to enjoy playing but spend less. There are still about two months left before the next Standard rotation so there is still ample time to enjoy this Tribal Cat deck, battling at kitchen tables or during your Friday Night Magic.

That is a wrap. Until the next post.

I was thinking about and looking for a possible home deck archetype for the M19 Legendary Bear Goreclaw, Terror of Qal Sisma. Sure it is an auto Green stompy deck but I wanted to explore more on other colors. I have found one Mono-green sort of but splashed with Red for Sarkhan’s Unsealing. I have checked the possibility of being a base decklist reference. I then added White to access the Elder Dragon Palladia-Mors, the Ruiner. Here below is what I have come up with:

Main Deck
Creatures
2 Demanding Dragon
3 Draconic Disciple
4 Llanowar Elves
3 Carnage Tyrant
1 Ghalta, Primal Hunger
3 Glorybringer
4 Goreclaw, Terror of Qal Sisma
3 Palladia-Mors, the Ruiner
1 Rhonas the Indomitable
3 Territorial Allosaurus

Spells
3 Adventurous Impulse
3 Ixalan’s Binding
3 Sarkhan’s Unsealing

Lands
4 Rootbound Crag
4 Sunpetal Grove
2 Sheltered Thicket
2 Scattered Groves
6 Forest
5 Mountain
1 Plains

Here is a quick decklist while I am still making up my mind on writing my Judge Conference weekend report. The deck features Sarkhan’s Unsealing partnered with lots of fatty creatures, one, in particular, is the inclusion of Traxos. Having a solid 7/7 on turn three as a follow up for turn two 5/4 is just nasty. Here below is the decklist.

24 LANDS
4 Aether Hub
4 Blooming Marsh
7 Forest
2 Hashep Oasis
4 Rootbound Crag
3 Sheltered Thicket

29 CREATURES
3 Ghalta, Primal Hunger
4 Llanowar Elves
2 Rhonas the Indomitable
4 Scrapheap Scrounger
4 Servant of the Conduit
4 Steel Leaf Champion
2 Thrashing Brontodon
3 Traxos, Scourge of Kroog
3 Verdurous Gearhulk

7 OTHER SPELLS
3 Heart of Kiran
4 Sarkhan’s Unsealing

SIDEBOARD
2 Aethersphere Harvester
3 Carnage Tyrant
2 Lifecrafter’s Bestiary
3 Magma Spray
2 Nissa, Vital Force
2 Thrashing Brontodon
1 Vivien Reid

Source: http://mtgtop8.com/event?e=19620&d=325748&f=ST

We would be highly certain that tribal decks will flourish in M19 Standard. I have mentioned of the Zombies and this time, let us take a look at another tribe. I won’t be having any definition whatsoever so here is a short preview of the decklist of the tribal Red Goblins with the release of Core Set 2019. Decklist after the cut.

Creatures
4 Fanatical Firebrand
4 Rigging Runner
3 Skirk Prospector
2 Dark-Dweller Oracle
4 Goblin Instigator
4 Goblin Chainwhirler
4 Goblin Trashmaster
4 Siege-Gang Commander
3 Goblin Warchief

Spells
2 Lightning Strike
2 Goblin Barrage
2 Shock

22 Mountain