The next Magic: the Gathering set is looking to be and expected as another milestone in Magic’s history as another innovative big set with the splash of reminiscing one of the pillar storylines of the game. This is supposedly a continuation but seeing those main characters again get us excited as to what their next development in the story will be. Anywho, the setup on the decks that are rotating out of Standard once this set hit in inevitable. One of which is the Orzhov Angels tribal.

The deck build has just received a relevant upgrade with Giada from Streets of New Capenna but sadly it will be short-lived for the deck version in the Standard format. Still, if you have the card components, I would suggest building it as it is considered a top-tier deck of the metagame. As of posting, there are barely three weeks to go and so just enjoy each Standard ranked match piloting this deck.

I made a video deck tech below and posted it on my Youtube channel, DeathMarked TV. Enjoy, and don’t forget to click Like and Subscribe for more MTG-related content.

I have been doing some Magic: the Gathering Standard deck tech videos in the past few days while at the same time checking on the updates of the metagame of the format. While seeing similar top-tier decklists with some slight adjustments i.e. Rakdos Sacrifice & Jund Midrange decks, I am also happy to see unusual deck builds as some ideas are placed into the actual list that is winning in their local and online tournaments.

One particular deck tech that I am sharing today is the Temur Control deck which I made a discussion and detailing of the components, & sideboard strategy. The results may vary depending on the matchup but it is pretty compact on the deck’s core strategy.

I have embedded the video below for you guys to check on. If possible, I’d appreciate a like and subscription to my Youtube channel. Enjoy the video!

Reference: https://www.mtgtop8.com/event?e=36984&d=477767&f=ST

Hey all, today I am sharing with you guys my deck piloted on the recent APAC League qualifiers event at our LGS Pro Reis place. This was held last June 4th, 2022 with about 17 players in attendance. It was quite a big tournament if I may say and a competitive one.

I decided on Jund Midrange to be the best deck of choice then and updated my decklist to that of a reference from a player’s recent finish online. MTG Top 8 website is the ideal source of list hehe.

I finished in the Swiss at 4-0-1 and got first place. The playoffs were pretty lucky for me as I faced my quarterfinals opponent who already qualified and so he gladly conceded and gave me the win. It was a gathered decision then for the Top 4 as to which players were eager to qualify and fly out if needed. I was one of them.

Here below is the deck discussion video of the Jund Midrange deck I played for the APAC League Qualifiers along with some sideboard suggestions and match highlights with the Mono White Control deck.

Enjoy the video and until the next time.

Happy Thursday all. Today, we have another Magic: the Gathering Streets of New Capenna Standard deck feature which still cores on the Rakdos midrange control deck. The Ob Nixilis, the Adversary casualty combo is just too good to pass, and with the support of a third color: White, diverse it to a more card advantage deck build.

Check out this decklist below, as played by Joao Afonso in the MMA MA Melee MAI #6 at Lord Hebus Magic.

Reference list: https://mtgtop8.com/event?e=36325&d=473249&f=ST

The option of the creature curve for the early threat is very relevant to put on a pressure on opponents. The deck caters this through the Bloodtithe Harvester, and Luminarch Aspirant. Extra creatures can also act as a fodder for Ob Nixilis to turn an early clock in either life loss or hand discard effects.

On the setup and strategy of mid to late-game scenario, it still has the capabilities by gumming up the board with planeswalkers, and Wedding Announcement tokens and an added support of solid spot removals to deal with opponent’s threats. The slow route of Meathook Massacre’s ping effects is also a good late-game plan. In the matchup against other midrange and control decks, the deck can board in Duress and Go Blanks to disrupt their hand and in the same way deprive them of their best card while you can resolve your own.

I have yet to see more of this deck build in the coming online Magic: the Gathering tournaments on MTGO or via Magic Arena. This is to gauge is there are changes in the creature lineup or just to maintain it if it is performing well.

That is a wrap for now, until the next blog post.

Our card pool was finally able to complete the Standard Jund or Riveteers Ob Nixilis midrange deck with the base list referenced from various tournament results posted online. I got lucky on a few unusual MTG Streets of New Capenna Standard to pull two Ob Nixilis, the Adversary out of these Magic: the Gathering booster packs and followed it up with single purchases online for the dual nonbasic lands.

On clarification of this completion, I mean only 90% as I was missing the relevant card of the deck: The Meathook Massacre. The card is still very expensive on its current price. While I was leaning to the Green aggro aspect of the deck, I was still wary of the matchup against Mono-White and other swarm creature decks in the metagame.

Here in the video below, I explained the Standard deck strategy and a few matchup summary and recap. Please understand some of the mumbling words as I speak. Lol.

For today’s blog post, we have a deck archetype that has been rising in the Standard metagame to become that of a top-tier deck. I initially noticed this deck on the top finishes of the recent Magic: the Gathering tournaments online and on paper. For reference are those whose decks are listed on the MTG Top 8 website.

I would consider this not as an aggro deck but instead more of a good stuff midrange deck based on the card components in which most are already powerful even if cast alone. If you guys are familiar with the Standard metagame in terms of single cards’ financial value, these cards are auto-included in the deck builds as long as they are color-affiliated.

Check out the full decklist of the Standard-rising deck, Esper Aggro below.

Maindeck

26 LANDS
4 Brightclimb Pathway
4 Clearwater Pathway
2 Deserted Beach
4 Hengegate Pathway
2 Hive of the Eye Tyrant
1 Plains
4 Raffine’s Tower
3 Shattered Sanctum
2 Shipwreck Marsh

15 CREATURES
1 Legion Angel
4 Luminarch Aspirant
4 Raffine, Scheming Seer
3 Tainted Adversary
3 Tenacious Underdog

7 INSTANTS and SORC.
1 Infernal Grasp
4 Vanishing Verse
2 Void Rend

12 OTHER SPELLS
2 Kaito Shizuki
1 Lolth, Spider Queen
2 Sorin the Mirthless
3 The Wandering Emperor
4 Wedding Announcement

Sideboard
3 Duress
2 Go Blank
3 Legion Angel
1 Malevolent Hermit
2 Negate
3 Ray of Enfeeblement
1 The Meathook Massacre

Reference: https://www.mtgtop8.com/event?e=36267&d=472850&f=ST

If you would notice, the card lineup assigned for the late game plan is obviously in high-demand and pricey in the current market. The power value would be able to sustain and prevent opponents’ board setup. Of course, going for the best cards to utilize is the way.

You can check the rest of the finishes of the deck archetype on the MTG Top 8 website via this link.

While we get on the ride with the three-color decks supported by the Streets of New Capenna set, we should also check on what cards from the recent set have become a good upgrade for the current Mono Colored deck builds in the Standard format and maybe for some older ones like Pioneer.

For today’s Mono Deck discussion, we take a look at the Mono-Black Aggro list and see what new cards were included.

Here below is the updated Mono-Black Aggro decklist:

Creatures
2 Blade of the Oni
3 Bloodvial Purveyor
3 Biting Palm Ninja
3 Graveyard Trespasser
4 Shakedown Heavy
4 Skyclave Shade
4 Tenacious Underdog
1 Tainted Adversary

2 Bloodchief’s Thirst
3 Infernal Grasp
2 Reckoner Bankbuster
1 Hagra Mauling

4 Okiba Reckoner Raid
1 Life of Toshiro Umezawa

Lands (23)
4 Hive of the Eye Tyrant
2 Takenuma, Abandoned Mire
17 Swamp

The Streets of New Capenna cards added are Shakedown Heavy, and Tenacious Underdog which are very relevant creatures in the new lineup. The 3-drop Heavy gives a slight disadvantage of a card draw in exchange for combat damage, but that means more gas to you as you continue to curve up to the fourth and fifth turn. Tenacious Underdog can be a late-game attacker with its recursion Blitz ability with only the mana and life for the cost.

Okiba Reckoner Raid is a delayed one-drop but can deal life loss to opponents as its lore counters tick. The utility three-drops consist of the trespassers and Biting Palm Ninjas. The former deals with relevant graveyard recurring cards and the latter with discarding the best card from the opponent and knowing their next moves.

I have included two copies of Reckoner Bankbuster with the two options: card draw and early huge attacker. Most of the creatures in the lineup can crew it for early attack and in the late game, extra mana can be used to activate its card draw.

I have yet to check on its performance on the MTG Online and Magic Arena tournaments and if ever you guys have started a grind with this deck, feel free to share in the comment box your insights and strategy to certain matchups and the best cards to include or update.

That is a wrap for now on this Standard deck tech, until the next blog post.

I am starting the week with a Magic: the Gathering Standard deck tech for the Streets of New Capenna and the approach I took was sort of a reference from a deck archetype in the Modern format. That deck is the Five-Color Humans and my Standard version is taking some of the new cards from the Obscura Family to power the deck build.

While I am excited to build the physical deck, I am still in search of where to buy the components where the cards were from the previous sets that were mostly released during the height of the pandemic. I have yet to figure out an acquisition solution for this one.

Anywho, here below is the initial or first version of the Obscura Humans Standard decklist:

Maindeck:

Creatures
2 Adeline, Resplendent Cathar
4 Brutal Cathar
4 Elite Spellbinder
4 Luminarch Aspirant
4 Scheming Accomplice
4 Silverquill Silencer
4 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
1 Toluz, Clever Conductor

Spells
3 Kaito Shizuki
1 Obscura Charm
3 Vanishing Verse
3 Void Rend

Lands
4 Secluded Courtyard
4 Hengegate Pathway
4 Brightclimb Pathway
2 Clearwater Pathway
3 Deserted Beach
3 Raffine’s Tower
3 Shattered Sanctum

I might have a deck tech video discussion of this one on my Youtube channel so just stay tuned for it. Like, subscribe and turn on notifications for instant updates.

Wrapping up for now, until the next blog post.