I’ve decided to switch gears, since for most people, the next relevant Constructed format will be Extended. For those of you who do not remember, Extended used to be a very different beast. When I first started playing, Extended was Tempest -> Mirrodin, with a significant banlist to keep Urza Block in check. Now Extended is Lorwyn -> Scars of Mirrodin with M10 and M11 as legal core sets.
As a result, a lot of reasonable Extended decks will be the old Standard decks of these past three years, with a chance for innovation by looking for cross-block synergy.
I’ll start by considering what I think are reasonable lists for major archetypes, and discuss what other cards could be considered.
An old boogeyman of Standard:
[deck title=Faeries]
[Lands]
2 Tectonic Edge
4 Island
4 Sunken Ruins
4 Secluded Glen
4 Creeping Tar Pit
4 Mutavault
4 Darkslick Shores
[/Lands]
[Guys]
4 Mistbind Clique
4 Spellstutter Sprite
4 Bitterblossom
[/Guys]
[Spells]
3 Thoughtseize
4 Preordain
4 Cryptic Command
4 Mana Leak
4 Smother
1 Doom Blade
2 Jace Beleren
[/Spells]
[Sideboard]
4 Disfigure
4 Molten-Tail Masticore
2 Wurmcoil Engine
2 Spell Pierce
2 Duress
1 Jace Beleren
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]
This Faeries list is probably a bit different from ones you have seen in the past. For one, I do not believe [card]Scion of Oona[/card] or [card]Vendilion Clique[/card] are particularly well-positioned, so I move to a more controlling Faeries build with 5 spot removal spells, and really only 4 [card]Mistbind Clique[/card], 4 [card]Bitterblossom[/card] and 8 manlands to win with.
You are also able to board into pure UB control if necessary (vs aggressive decks). 4 [card]Molten-Tail Masticore[/card], 2 [card]Wurmcoil Engine[/card], and 4 [card]Disfigure[/card] usually come in for this plan.
I am not 100% sold on [card]Tectonic Edge[/card], since it is another colorless land, and might be replaced by the best land in Magic: Island. Also of note, I am not sure maindeck [card]Thoughtseize[/card] is necessary, but turn 1 Thoughtseize followed by turn 2 Bitterblossom is one of the best openings Faeries can have.
[deck title=Monored (RDW)]
[Lands]
3 Teetering Peaks
2 Smoldering Spires
20 Mountain
[/Lands]
[Guys]
4 Goblin Guide
4 Figure of Destiny
4 Hellspark Elemental
4 Hell’s Thunder
4 Demigod of Revenge
[/Guys]
[Spells]
3 Volcanic Fallout
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Flame Javelin
4 Staggershock
[/Spells]
[Sideboard]
3 Koth of the Hammer
1 Volcanic Fallout
4 Searing Blaze
4 Stigma Lasher
3 Ratchet Bomb
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]
There’s not much to say about the gameplan of this deck. It is worth noting there’s a lot of room for variation in card choices ([card]Demigod of Revenge[/card] or not), since that forces you to play more lands. [card]Goblin Guide[/card] and [card]Figure of Destiny[/card] are invaluable one drops. I was even considering [card]Spikeshot Elder[/card], but realized it was probably too weak. You could also play [card]Burst Lightning[/card] as a potential burn spell, but I believe [card]Flame Javelin[/card] and [card]Staggershock[/card] are both superior here. [card]Smoldering Spires[/card] and [card]Teetering Peaks[/card] are both pseudo-spells that you can justify playing more lands for to help with Demigod as well. [card]Boggart Ram-gang[/card] is also worth consideration, but probably will not make the cut.
[card]Stigma Lasher[/card] is a fine guy on turn 2 to disable [card]Kitchen Finks[/card], [card]Wurmcoil Engine[/card] and possibly even [card]Baneslayer Angel[/card] if he connects. [card]Ratchet Bomb[/card] lets you answer [card]Kor Firewalker[/card] and [card]Burrenton Forge-tender[/card] with relative ease. [card]Koth of the Hammer[/card] is an annoying card for Control decks to answer. [card]Searing Blaze[/card] is a great card to have in any sort of aggressive mirror. Notice that in this deck, you have to cast it as a sorcery to get value, since there are 0 fetchlands to be seen.
[deck title=5 Color Control]
[Lands]
4 Reflecting Pool
4 Creeping Tar Pit
4 Vivid Creek
3 Vivid Marsh
2 Vivid Crag
2 Vivid Meadow
2 Sunken Ruins
2 Cascade Bluffs
2 Mystic Gate
2 Island
[/Lands]
[Guys]
3 Baneslayer Angel
1 Grave Titan
2 Plumeveil
[/Guys]
[Spells]
4 Esper Charm
4 Mana Leak
4 Cryptic Command
2 Volcanic Fallout
2 Lightning Bolt
3 Doom Blade
2 Cruel Ultimatum
2 Negate
2 Day of Judgment
2 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
[/Spells]
[Sideboard]
4 Great Sable Stag
1 Volcanic Fallout
2 Identity Crisis
1 Negate
1 Day of Judgment
4 Duress
2 Runed Halo
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]
I played in quite a few PTQs with this deck while it was legal in Standard. Not much has changed since then. You play the best spells at the top end, stapled together with a reasonably good manabase and removal spells. There’s quite a few ways to build this deck as well. You could build it as a very planeswalker heavy build with [card]Ajani Vengeant[/card] and [card]Jace Beleren[/card], though he is often overshadowed by his big brother (Twin? Future self?) now. There’s any number of removal spells you could play, including [card]Path to Exile[/card], [card]Condemn[/card], and more [card]Plumeveils[/card].
In short, I am hesitant to really give you an exact build of this deck that I would be comfortable playing 100% until we see what happens at Worlds next weekend. This build should give you a good starting point for your own 5CC ideas, though.
Another boogeyman:
[deck title=Aggro Jund]
[Lands]
4 Verdant Catacombs
2 Forest
2 Swamp
1 Mountain
4 Raging Ravine
4 Twilight Mire
3 Blackcleave Cliffs
2 Copperline Gorge
2 Savage Lands
2 Reflecting Pool
[/Lands]
[Guys]
4 Putrid Leech
2 Sygg, River Cutthroat
4 Boggart Ram-gang
4 Kitchen Finks
4 Bloodbraid Elf
2 Chameleon Colossus
[/Guys]
[Spells]
3 Terminate
3 Maelstrom Pulse
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Blightning
[/Spells]
[Sideboard]
4 Great Sable Stag
3 Volcanic Fallout
4 Thoughtseize
4 Anathemancer
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]
This is probably a much more aggressive build of Jund than most of you are used to. It was called Jund Blood at GP Seattle (in 2008) and there was a 5 color build of it that splashed [card]Cryptic Command[/card] and [card]Cruel Ultimatum[/card]. You are able to aggressively curve out as well as back up that curve with efficient removal, and also burn your opponent to draw cards off [card]Sygg, River Cutthroat[/card] during their turn. This deck is not quite as good at grinding people out as builds with [card] Bituminous Blast[/card], but it still has [card]Blightning[/card] and [card]Sygg, River Cutthroat[/card] as sources of card advantage.
You could also consider: Bitterblossom as an additional 2 drop (somewhat slow), maindecking [card]Great Sable Stag[/card] as an addition or to replace a three drop. The sideboard could also probably use some work after we see what occurs next weekend.
Not quite as big of a boogeyman, but still seeing some play:
[deck title=Merfolk]
[Lands]
4 Seachrome Coast
4 Celestial Colonnade
4 Mutavault
4 Wanderwine Hub
4 Mystic Gate
4 Island
[/Lands]
[Guys]
4 Merfolk Sovereign
4 Merrow Reejerey
4 Coralhelm Commander
2 Sygg, River Guide
4 Silvergill Adept
4 Cursecatcher
4 Grand Architect
[/Guys]
[Spells]
4 Cryptic Command
4 Mana Leak
2 Path to Exile
[/Spells]
[Sideboard]
4 Sower of Temptation
4 Negate
2 Path to Exile
4 Burrenton Forge-Tender
1 Ranger of Eos
[/sideboard]
[/deck]
I personally have not done a lot of work on this archetype – this list is merely a tweaked list from a recent magic-league first place showing. Merfolk has always nipped at Faeries’ heels, but has generally been regarded to be worse overall. However, it does have the advantage of having tons of creatures that pump the Merfolk, making it generally better in creature on creature matchups, as well as having access to [card]Cryptic Command[/card] for fogs/falters.
Other cards to consider: [card]Molten-Tail Masticore[/card] is a great card that gives you ways to kill them out of the combat zone, and also lets you be slightly more resilient to [card]Day of Judgment[/card]. [card]Reveillark[/card] is a card that gives you resilience to removal heavy decks. I have also seen [card]Sage’s Dousing[/card] over [card]Mana Leak[/card], but I think that it doesn’t have enough of an upside for being on the wrong spot in the curve – especially after cutting the weak [card]Stonybrook Banneret[/card].
[deck title=GW Trap Ramp]
[Lands]
3 Razorverge Thicket
1 Sejiri Steppe
1 Mutavault
2 Mosswort Bridge
6 Forest
1 Plains
4 Verdant Catacombs
3 Misty Rainforest
4 Windbrisk Heights
1 Stirring Wildwood
[/Lands]
[Guys]
4 Noble Hierarch
4 Birds of Paradise
4 Lotus Cobra
4 Primeval Titan
4 Knight of the Reliquary
4 Nest Invader
3 Baneslayer Angel
3 Emrakul, the Aeons Torn
[/Guys]
[Spells]
4 Summoning Trap
[/Spells]
[Sideboard]
4 Kitchen Finks
4 Burrenton Forge-Tender
1 Tectonic Edge
1 Bojuka Bog
2 Gaddock Teeg
3 Ranger of Eos
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]
This deck is an evolution of Zvi’s Mythic deck for PT Amsterdam. Its plan A is to Hideaway an [card]Emrakul, the Aeons Torn[/card] and get it out with a [card]Primeval Titan[/card] or by activating [card]Knight of the Reliquary[/card] in the case of [card]Mosswort Bridge[/card], or simply attacking with your small guys for [card]Windbrisk Heights[/card]. It’s worth noting that [card]Mutavault[/card] can help activate the [card=Mosswort Bridge]bridge[/card] when you have [card]Primeval Titan[/card] plus another 2-power creature. Plan B is to cast [card]Baneslayer Angel[/card] / [card]Primeval Titan[/card] and just swing with them, or hardcast [card=Emrakul, the Aeons Torn]Emrakul[/card] later in the game. I would believe that this deck is pretty favored vs everything that does not have a lot of burn or [card=Day of Judgment]sweepers[/card].
I am hesitant to mess with this deck too much, since there’s not a lot of room to sideboard cards in or out, and the deck seems very focused as it is.
And finally, a deck after kingcobweb’s own heart:
[deck title=Elf Combo]
[Lands]
4 Razorverge Thicket
6 Forest
1 Plains
1 Mosswort Bridge
4 Wooded Bastion
4 Sunpetal Grove
[/Lands]
[Guys]
1 Ezuri, Renegade Leader
4 Joraga Treespeaker
4 Elvish Archdruid
4 Regal Force
4 Ranger of Eos
4 Elvish Visionary
4 Llanowar Elves
4 Nettle Sentinel
4 Heritage Druid
2 Joraga Warcaller
1 Burrenton Forge-Tender
[/Guys]
[Spells]
4 Primal Command
[/Spells]
[Sideboard]
4 Vengevine
4 Great Sable Stag
3 Burrenton Forge-Tender
2 Dauntless Escort
2 Acidic Slime
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]
This deck still seems relatively powerful and resilient to whatever hate people throw its way, especially with the introduction of [card]Vengevine[/card] as a viable board card. For those of you may not know, you can loop [card]Primal Command[/card] if you get your library small enough (courtesy of [card]Regal Force[/card]) by casting Primal Command to shuffle your graveyard in (including the [card]Primal Command[/card] that was already in your yard) and search for another Regal Force. At this point you can shuffle and put their lands on top of their deck if necessary or just get an [card]Ezuri, Renegade Leader[/card] or [card]Joraga Warcaller[/card] to kill them with.
Other cards to consider: [card]Arbor Elf[/card] is another [card]Llanowar Elves[/card], although you would have to put more Forests in the deck. [card]Eldrazi Monument[/card] can serve as another win condition as well as giving you protection vs sweepers. I am not sure about [card]Acidic Slime[/card] in the sideboard, but I think it is worth having access to in case if someone shows up with a crazy [card]Platinum Angel[/card] or [card]Platinum Emperion[/card] that you otherwise cannot beat.
As a bonus, I will share the current standard deck I’ve been grinding with:
[deck title=Valakut Ramp]
[Lands]
4 Verdant Catacombs
2 Terramorphic Expanse
2 Evolving Wilds
5 Forest
10 Mountain
1 Swamp
4 Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle
[/Lands]
[Guys]
4 Overgrown Battlement
4 Primeval Titan
2 Avenger of Zendikar
2 Gaea’s Revenge
1 Wurmcoil Engine
[/Guys]
[Spells]
4 Khalni Heart Expedition
4 Growth Spasm
4 Explore
4 Summoning Trap
3 Lightning Bolt
[/Spells]
[Sideboard]
4 Memoricide
1 Lightning Bolt
4 Pyroclasm
3 Nature’s Claim
3 Obstinate Baloth
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]
The deck is not very innovative, but it is very strong at doing its own thing – which is to spit out huge threats early and finish people with [card]Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle[/card] triggers or Plant Tokens. You could probably justify cutting the [card]Wurmcoil Engine[/card] for a 3rd [card]Avenger of Zendikar[/card], as well as putting the 4th [card]Lightning Bolt[/card] back in for it. Otherwise, I am really happy with this list so far and feel good about its matchups except for the mirror (which is a [card=Game of Chaos]direct[/card] [card=Mana Clash]coin[/card][card=Krark’s Thumb]flip[/card]).
I hope this article has been enlightening, and as usual, feel free to leave comments in the forums or to PM me.
–llarack