Jacob Brown: Core 2019 in Standard
Standard has been really good for a while, and with M19 it only looks to get better. There is a ton of room for innovation, and I’m certain that new archetypes will evolve. However, in this article I want to focus on how the new cards will slot into the four best decks going into the new format.
GW Midrange
GW Midrange is one of the best decks in the format that nobody is playing. The deck takes full advantage of Lyra and Shalai. If the two angels are on the battlefield at the same time it’s nearly impossible to lose, and the rest of the deck isn’t too shabby either. I believe this is the deck that benefits the most from the release of M19.
The additions that help this deck are Resplendent Angel, Vivien Reid, and Ajani, Adversary of Tyrants. First of all, the Angel pairs nicely with Shalai and Lyra, two cards already in the deck. Some of the earlier versions of GW included the Wildgrowth Walker package but later cut it. The Walker package is very good with the new Angel and is a good way to fight against Mono Red. Ajani and Vivien both give the deck staying power. The two planeswalkers let you go long against the midrange decks of the format and effect the board instantly, making them good against aggressive decks. Additionally, this list gets to slot in History of Benalia at no cost, just playing the card as a solid 3 drop. Finally, Shield Mare looks really good in the sideboard, looking to break the Mono Red matchup wide open post-board.
Mono Red
Goblin Chainwhirler is here to stay, and discussing Standard without including Mono Red Aggro would be a mistake.
Not much changes in the mainboard, but Dark-Dweller Oracle and Lightning Mare are very good sideboard inclusions. The Oracle is obviously good card advantage, but the sacrifice is more relevant than it seems at first glance. The sacrifice ability can be used to “draw” cards, but also be used to save creatures such as Hazoret and Earthshaker Khenra from Ixalan’s Bnding, Vraska’s Contempt, Moment’s Craving, or Essence Extraction. Lighting Mare is a card that makes the blue based control and midrange decks better for Mono Red post board.
Esper Control
I have some disappointing news for you: Chromium is sweet, but in a meta filled with Mono Red, the card isn’t playable in the mainboard. However, the card is a blowout against just about everything else and is a great sideboard threat.
The only card from M19 that jumped out to me as mainboard playable is Murder. Murder is just a great card. It’s cheap, it’s efficient, and it gets the job done. With that said, it does compete with Disallow and Supreme Will in the three mana slot, and I suspect a lot of games with this deck will play out with a tapped land being played on turn three, making me think 2 Cast Down is better than additional copies of Murder. Deadeye Tracker is a card in the board that I think is immensely underplayed. Obviously the card is insane against all the God-Pharaoh’s Gift decks. I also bring it in against Search for Azcanta, The Scarab God, and Torrential Gearhulk decks as it takes away some of the resources needed for those cards.
UB Midrange
Finally, UB Midrange is a deck that isn’t flashy, and doesn’t get a lot from the new set, but is customizable and consistent, convincing me it will be a large part of the M19 Standard metagame.
Murder is a slight upgrade for the deck, as it kills things that Cast Down doesn’t, such as Heart of Kiran or Gonti, Lord of Luxury. I don’t suspect many go wide strategies will pop up, as Chainwhirler oppresses them, but if they do Plague Mare will be a powerful tool against them. The horse also hits random x/1’s, so I can see myself bringing it in against Mono Red to kill Bomats and Khenras and in the mirror to get Glint Sleeve Siphoner and Champion of Wits. Speaking of Siphoner, I chose to omit the card from my list. I wanted to keep my matchup against Mono Red as favorable as possible, and Gifted Aetherborn is great against those decks. The other M19 card that caught my eye is Exclusion Mage. Unsummon on a body is usually good, and in a format with a bunch of indestructible Gods it can be a huge tempo boost. The card synergizes well with the Scarab God, but not being able to bounce your own Gearhulks, Champion of Wits, or Chupacabra makes me a little less excited about the card. I think it will eventually make its way into the 75 as a 1-2 of, I just need to see how the metagame progresses before I decide what to cut for it.
New decks will emerge with the release of the new set and the format will continue to change week by week. With that said, these decks were already good, and only get better with the new cards, making them great choices for the new format. As always, I want to hear from you guys. What do you guys think will be good in new Standard? Did I miss any sweet upgrades? Let me know on Twitter @AzureJake
Jacob Brown‘s Magic accomplishments include coming in second at the 2016 TCGPlayer States, winning a PPTQ, and winning infinite casual drafts. Contact him at nufan7@comcast.net.
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