With All This Naya on My Brain, Tokens are the Game

Hi Everyone! I know it has been a while since I wrote anything but I have decided to try to write an article every week. Most of the decks that I talk about can be found on my Imgur page, here. Anyway let's get down to business.

For those of you that watch my Magic stream, this article probably won't contain anything you haven't seen or heard. For those of you who don't watch my Magic stream, I would like to inform you that I have an obsession with playing Naya colored decks in the current Standard format. It all started with the list I wrote about for my very first article and I haven't stopped playing Naya since! Actually, that's a lie. After BNG was released online, my win percentage with Naya Midrange dropped off the planet. I moved on to playing Bant, which I finished okay with at a PTQ in Springfield, IL and then Jund Monsters, which led me to a 6-3 finish at GP Cincinnati, a very good run seeing as I came in with zero byes!

After that tournament, I decided to go back to the drawing board and work on different versions of Naya that basically all sucked. I couldn't beat anything and I felt pretty miserable about playing anything in Standard. Luckily, I was pulled out of my slump by a friend of mine, Wyatt, that shipped me a pretty cool Junk Aggro list. I played it for a bit both on and off stream and actually started winning again!

From there, I moved on to various other decks, one of the coolest being the Junk Reanimator list written about by Brian Braun-Duin on StarCityGames. The deck was actually insane in the few matches that I played with it but it felt like it was missing something. Turns out it wasn't the deck but more the fact that it really didn't fit my style. It was after that that I decided to return back to the lovely colors of Green, Red, and White!

I searched the net, mainly mtggoldfish.com, for any spicy Naya brews that could get me back home, where I belong. I actually found a couple but they didn't really excite me. These Naya decks were very similar to the previous builds of Naya Midrange/Control deck I worked on before but I was looking for something with a little more spice. After searching a bit more, I stumbled upon this thing of beauty:

Naya Tokens

This list is very close to the 75 Mtgo user, HeroesofKern, piloted to a 6-0 finish in a Standard event, which can be found here. I only made two changes: I cut 2 Scion for 2 Assembles and 1 Brimaz for a Xenagos. I can honestly say that the assemble has been insane for me on Mtgo. Mono Black makes up about 30% of the online meta-game and just being able to slam this down as early as turn 3 with the help of the mana dorks is just backbreaking. Domri's -2 ability is clearly not at his best here but being able to find a Purphoros is just too good to pass up. The one card in the maindeck that I constantly get questions about is the big, bird making elemental himself, Scion. I can see exactly what the deck creator was going for with this guy! Putting at least 6 power into play for 5 mana is okay but the card truly shines with a Purphoros on the battlefield. 6 power and 6 damage to the opponent and/or Planeswalkers is just so much value! The birds this guy brings to the party aren't anything to scoff at either since they can chump those silly Nightveil Specters or Cloudfin Raptors for a bit or they can go at your enemy's face with quite sharp claws using a few Purphoros pumps!

Moving on from the main-deck, I have not changed any of the sideboard cards. Many of the cards are self explanatory though the Ragebeast seems questionable. I can see the card coming in against other mid-range decks to fight things like Stormbreath Dragon or Polukranos. Once in play, it can sort of  machine gun things down with an active Assemble, Xenagos, or Elspeth in play. After playing the deck quite a bit (go check out my Twitch channel to see the deck in action), I don't think the beast is good enough. Possible replacements could be something like Warleader's Helix or maybe Polukranos.
 

I haven't given much thought about what I would change since Journey of the Nyx is right around the corner, but expect to see an update to this list and/or my old Naya list sometime in the future. I hope you enjoyed the article and feel free to join me in the amazing world of Naya!

Dech Tech: Post Grand Prix Cincinnati with Jund Monsters

After the Grand Prix, I still wanted to play with Jund Monsters in standard.  But after analyzing what happened in my matches and the shifting metagame in the format and everyone either playing the Esper Control or BW Midrange,  Some changes to the deck needed to made.  The top image is the deck that I ran at the Grand Prix and the bottom image is the current list with I have been running that is up to date.





Grand Prix List

Post Grand Prix List

When playing this deck against a control list, you have to expect that you are going to lose game one.  But after sideboard cards are in, Sire of Insanity, Dreadbore, Rakdos's Return, Deadbridge Chant, and Abrupt Decay, then the matchup will help but you still have to have good draws.

The one, dumb, OP (over powered) card that we couldn't handle was Obzedat, Ghost Council. We originally had one Putrefy in the sideboard for this, but it turned out to be a bigger problem.  Another card that the extra Putrefy helped could of helped is Lotleth Troll, just because of the regeneration.  With the uprising of the new GB Dredge deck that hit the floor, Putrefy makes this match a lot easier and our win percentage would increase exponentially.

There is one card that we added two of to the main board to help go faster or get more creatures out onto the battlefield, Xenagos, the Reveler.  This planeswalker did exactly that.  It got creatures out in the control matchup while having creatures that can block and destroy Blood Baron of Viskopa in the BW Midrange matchup.

We took out two Polukranos, World Eater, for a couple of reasons.  One, it is actually one of the most easiest creatures to destroy in this format. Another reason is that it Polukranos, World Eater also one of the most easiest creatures to exile due to the uprising of Lifebane Zombie and Selesnya Charm.  While Reaper of the Wilds could be exiled, when it is on the field, he has the potential to protect it self with the hexproof ability.

Hope this gives you incentive to play this deck in the future.  Let me know if there are any other changes that you would probably make with this deck and would tell me your results of your matches.

See you later!

Dech Tech: Modern Affinity

Well, it's that time to get ready for modern season.  As I am not going to be able to attend the Grand Prix in Minneapolis, I will be piloting Affinity for those that need playtesting, and also to grind some PTQs with, there is the current list that got 2nd at Grand Prix Richmond.

After I play with this list for a while, I will probably make some modifications due to MTGO meta and what I will probably see out there at the tournaments.

Jund Monsters!

Here is the list that we ran at the Grand Prix:

Creatures:27

4 Elvish Mystic

2 Scavenging Ooze

4 Sylvan Caryatid

4 Courser of Kruphix

4 Polukranos, World Eater

4 Reaper of the Wilds

4 Stormbreath Dragon

1 Xenagos, God of Revels

Spells:9

3 Dreadbore

2 Mizzium Mortars

4 Domri Rade

Lands:24

4 Blood Crypt

4 Forest

1 Mountain

2 Mutavault

4 Overgrown Tomb

4 Stomping Ground

4 Temple of Abandon

1 Temple of Malice

Sideboard:15

2 Abrupt Decay

1 Dreadbore

2 Golgari Charm

1 Mizzium Mortars

2 Rakdos's Return

3 Ultimate Price

1 Putrefy

1 Deadbridge Chant

2 Sire of Insanity

Alex and I started talking about last Wednesday about what deck to play.  When I saw an original list, I knew that I wanted to play it. It was like playing original magic all over again. Playing big creatures and attacking with brute force just seemed right.

We wanted a deck that wanted to resilient to certain match ups; mono black, mono blue, GR monsters, and UW control.  The one deck that we really feared was RW burn and thankfully we didn't have to face that deck a lot but.

Before day one of the Grand Prix, we really felt that the numbers needed to be changed and maybe some cards needed to be added.

The original sideboard had a one of Ruric Thar, the Unbowed and one of Sire of Insanity. After some talk to other players that we met up with, we decided that Sire of Insanity was more powerful than the other, especially in the control matchup, which was proven successful.

The "super secret tech" that we put into the sideboard was Deadbridge Chant.  Why in good graces are we playing this card?  Well, is a great way to get cards back that we can use again. With the Scavenging Oozes that are in the main board, we can filter our graveyard so that we have a higher probability of getting a spell or creature that can secure the match. This card was really useful in getting a Mizzium Mortars and overloading it to kill two Blood Baron of Vizkopa.  Win!!!

The last card we put in the sideboard was a one of Putrefy.  BW midrange/control was probably our worst matchup because of Obzedat, Ghost Council.  By draining us two a turn with no instant speed removal just made the it all but a necessity for this deck.  Plus it's a great way to deal with the legendary weapons too.

The only deck that I lost to for the three losses were to BW midrange / control. But that was to be expected. But the decks that we beat are as follows and in no particular order:

-GW aggro

-Mono Black Devotion

-Mono Black Devotion splash White

-Naya agro / combo

-UW Control

-Bant Control

-Jund Monsters (with plansewalkers)

-Esper Midrange

-Esper Control

Over all, I was completely satisfied and happy I played this list.  I went 7-2 day one of the Grand Prix and 5-1 day two which put me in 24th place. Out of 1734 players, well, that's pretty good!  I will be working more on this deck and trying to improve for future tournaments!

Later!

Bant Midrange - PTQ Springfield, IL 3/2/2014

Here is the list that Alex played at the PTQ in Springfield, IL

Main Deck: 60 Cards

4 Temple Garden
4 Breeding Pool
4 Hallowed Fountain
4 Temple of Plenty
4 Temple Mystery
1 Temple of Enlightenment
3 Forest
1 Plains
4 Sylvan Caryatid
4 Voice of Resurgence
4 Detention Sphere
4 Courser of Kruphix
4 Loxodon Smiter
3 Advent of the Wurm
3 Kiora, the Crashing Wave
3 Archangel of Thune
3 Elspeth, Sun's Champion
1 Angel of Serenity
2 Sphinx's Revelation

Sideboard: 15 Cards

3 Last Breath 
2 Negate
1 Unravel the Aether
2 Plummet
3 Supreme Verdict
3 Mistcutter Hydra
1 Angel of Serenity

 

Standard Deck Tech: Naya Midrange

Hello everyone! This is my first ever article so I'll give you a little bit of background about myself. I have been playing Magic for about 11 years now, with a couple months of downtime somewhere in there. For the most part, I play MTGO, a.k.a. Magic The Gathering Online, under the name goldfire07. Last year I decided I wanted to become a better player and interact with a ton of people so I started online streaming under the name Ghostlyflow *shameless plug*. Since then, I have traveled to quite a few PTQs in the Midwest, attempting to qualify for a Pro Tour. I am surrounded by some of the best players in the region and hopefully with them continuing to push me, or should i say crush me, I will eventually make it to the big time. That's enough about me, let's just jump right in to what you all came here for, Naya Midrange!!! Here's the list:

Lands - 25

4 Stomping Ground
4 Temple of Abandon
1 Selesnya Guildgate
4 Temple Garden
4 Sacred Foundry
4 Temple of Triumph
1 Plains
2 Mountain
1 Forest

Spells - 35

4 Chained to the Rocks
3 Mizzium Mortars
2 Magma Jet
3 Selesnya Charm
4 Voice of Resurgence
2 Selesnya Keyrune
4 Loxodon Smiter
3 Advent of the Wurm
3 Xenagos, the Reveler
2 Assemble the Legion
3 Stormbreath Dragon
2 Elspeth, Sun's Champion

Sideboard - 15

3 Last Breath
3 Anger of the Gods
3 Mistcutter Hydra
2 Assemble the Legion
2 Ruric Thar, the Unbowed
2 Destructive Revelry

To get this out of the way, this deck was not designed by me. In fact, it is a mash-up of two different Naya list. I took what I liked best from each list and tuned it until I arrived at what you see above. I know a few of the numbers look a little weird such as only 3 Dragons and 3 Mortars, or the 2 seemingly random Magma Jets, but this is what has been working pretty well for me. Originally, there were 4 Mortars, 3 Angers, and 2 Warleader's Helix main, but after a lot of testing(going 1-2-1 drop in a PTQ due to 3 control matches), I concluded that I had too much removal and not enough threats.

This deck is designed to beat Mono Black, R/W Devotion, and various aggro decks. The control match-ups can be a little rough, but they get much better after sideboard where the creature removal is turned into more threats. Mono Blue is also a problem before side-boarding because even though there is quite a bit of removal main deck, we don't have much that actually kills them. Speaking of sideboards, here is how I sideboard in various match-ups:

Mono Black
-3 Stormbreath Dragon, -1 Magma Jet
+2 Ruric Thar, the Unbowed, +2 Assemble the Legion

I feel this is our best match-up. We are already set up really well to deal with the Mono Black menace with the main deck and we get a little bit better after board. The key cards in this match up are the removal spells and most importantly, Assemble the Legion. Until Born of the Gods comes out, Mono Black has no way to deal with this card outside of Thoughtseize and Duress.

Mono Blue
-2 Assemble the Legion, -3 Xenagos, the Reveler, -1 Elspeth, Sun's Champion
+3 Last Breath, +3 Mistcutter Hydra

Mono Blue is pretty rough for us. Our early threats are green, which makes them perfect targets for Tidebinder Mage. Thassa, God of the Sea and Master of Waves are both major threats and sadly, we can not rely that heavily on Chained to the Rocks due to the presence of Cyclonic Rift. In this match up, we are the control deck. Keep their devotion as low as possible and try to sneak in heavy hitters when you think the path is clear.

Control

-2 Magma Jet, -4 Chained to the Rocks, -2 Selesnya Charm, -1 Mizzium Mortars
+2 Destructive Revelry, +3 Mistcutter Hydra, +2 Assemble the Legion, +2 Ruric Thar, the Unbowed

I am lumping all Blue based control decks together here to make it easier to get the general idea of how to board versus them. Depending on what I see, I sometimes don't cut mortars to be able to handle things like opposing Assemble the Legion or Archangel of Thune. Against these decks, you want to keep pressure on, but not overextend. One of the best cards in these match ups has actually been Destructive Revelry. Being able to get back a Xenagos, the Reveler or another threat at the end of their turn has won me quite a few games.

R/W Devotion
-2 Xenagos, the Reveler, -2 Assemble the Legion, -4 Voice of Resurgence
+3 Last Breath, +3 Anger of the Gods, +2 Destructive Revelry

Against R/W Devotion, we are a control deck. R/W can not do much without devotion and if you can stop it, the match-up is a breeze. It is perfectly fine to Anger of the Gods whenever you see a Boros Reckoner, since it is such an important piece to their deck.

G/R Devotion or GR Monsters

I am 100% sure what we want in these match-ups. Anger of the Gods is really good against both decks as it removes their mana ramp. Last Breath is fine against G/R Devotion, but does nothing against the GR Monsters list since their ramp is usually Sylvan Caryatid. I have not played enough against these decks to have a set plan, but I feel that's a good place to start.

Aggro Decks

-2 Assemble the Legion,  - 4 Voice of Resurgence
+3 Last Breath, +3 Anger of the Gods

I am lumping all aggro decks into this sideboard plan. The plan is to stop their early game and then just win. Our creatures and Planeswalkers are a lot more powerful then anything most of these decks are doing and if you can get to those, the game is most likely over for them.


With Born of the Gods right around the corner, at least in the paper Magic world, there are a couple of cards I'm looking to test in this deck, the most obvious of those being Brimaz, King of Oreskos. This card seems like the perfect fit for this list. It lives through Anger of the Gods and provides constant pressure. I am also looking into adding Xenagos, God of Revels to the list, but I believe that would force me to change the deck significantly to get the most out of him. Lastly, I want to look at Searing Blood over Magma Jet. Magma jet's purpose in this deck is not only early removal, but card filtering with Scry 2. It may be the case that the 3 damage to the creature's controller is just better but who knows, maybe Magma Jet is just what this deck needs!

I hope you enjoyed the article and feel free to tell me what liked/disliked about the article, your feelings about the deck, and just Magic in general! I should have videos of the deck in action up on the blog soon, so look out for those! Your feedback is important to me and I plan to respond and interact with you guys as much as possible.

What are some other topics that you want us to talk about or some videos you want to see happen.  You can contact us at mtgplaymatt@gmail.com and be sure to follow us on Twitter @mtgPlayMatt and our PlayMatt Facebook site.