So since I've been back on MTGO I've been pouring myself into the Alara Block Constructed format and have top 8'ed two of the three daily events I've been able to play -- one with RWg control and another with a mid-range Naya deck. However both of these decks sport the formats dynamic duo, Elspeth, Knight-errant and Ajani Vengeant the most expensive cards in the format.
One of the best parts of my return to MTGO however has been brewing up decks with the guy I built decks with when the one-drops were 2/1 and had a drawback.... Wild Nacatl say hello to Mr. Jackal Pup. We're in different parts of the country for grad school, but able to chat every evening and sling the magical cards and have both been working trying to find a deck that can slay the Naya beast which is saturating the format as of late. For instance in my last daily event in which I played a mid-range Naya deck, I played seven rounds -- six Naya mirrors. If you can beat Naya at the moment, you're chances are good in any daily event or 8-man or even 2-man queue you might join. So we both started with a list of cards Naya least likes to face:
Goblin Outlander -- Enemy Number One
Personally there is no card I believe to be better positioned in the current format than the little 2/2 pro-white goblin. He shrugs off Path to Exile, Oblivion Ring, Celestial Purge and Ajani Vengeant helix and can walk right past soldier tokens to take a chunk out of the opposing planeswalker's loyalty. WW can do absolutely nothing about this guy, he eats the planeswalkers of 5cc, and singlehandedly makes RWg control cry for help -- so it's great against the other major players in the format -- but what about against Naya? First he is impossible for most versions to remove unless they have access to Martial Coup or Banefire in their maindeck. Additionally he can block Woolly Thoctar, Knight of the Reliquary, and Ranger of Eos all day long. This guy is a house and you want him on your team.
Caldera Hellion -- Ranger Eraser
Almost every version of Naya runs from four to ten mana accelerants -- Noble Hierarch, Druid of the Anima, and Steward of Valeron -- which are accompanied by the card advantage and smash your face package of Ranger of Eos and Wild Nacatl. In steps Caldera Hellion, our Ranger Eraser. Just when the Naya opponent has built their board with mana creatures and/or the park ranger and his two feline friends Caldera Hellion breathes one giant blaze of fire to erase all their hard work. Having a creature of your own to devour is nice, but Caldera Hellion would be ok in the matchup even as a 5cc painless Sulfurous Blast. The Ranger Eraser is even crazier against WW where he is a one-sided Wrath of God although admittedly he isn't too great against the various control decks other than as a Martial Coup clean-up kit.
Zombie Outlander -- Go Green
While the zombie isn't in the same league as his goblin counterpart, in the Naya matchup he does block Wild Nacatl, Knight of the Reliquary, and Woolly Thoctar and generally cause your opponent to pump the brakes. Not all that great against WW, but a warm body against 5cc, the zombie is a concession to wanting to beat up on Naya and have some dudes to feed to our hungry hungry hippo Caldera Hellion.
With this trio in mind then we find ourselves with a Grixis deck that is looking to squash Naya and have game against 5cc and the other decks in the format if able -- which lead me to the following:
Now this deck is certainly one Naya doesn't want to see across the table, and it has rather strong game against 5cc as well. Your gameplan revolves around sticking some dudes the opponent can't handle and disrupting your opponent until you can finish them with Cruel Ultimatum or a large Banefire. As a nice added bonus there are no planeswalkers or Noble Hierarch -- in fact the entire deck can be built for less than one playset of planeswalkers would set you back. Here's a quick rundown on the major matchups and sideboarding plans:
Against Naya: -2 Sedraxis Specter, +2 Agony Warp
You're already essentially pre-boarded for this matchup, aside from a couple Specters which help against 5cc. You want to use your Countersquall to protect your Zombie Outlander and counter your opponent's planeswalkers and try to hold Grixis Charm to deal with Battlegrace Angel if she makes an appearance. However don't forget you can often alpha strike for the win with the +2/+0 mode on the charm with a squad full of protection dudes.
Against 5cc: -4 Zombie Outlander, -3 Caldera Hellion, -1 Grixis Charm, +3 Swerve, +3 Scepter of Fugue, +2 Sedraxis Specter
In this matchup you take out the 2/2s that die to all their removal and the 5cc 3/3s that don't do much of anything. In their place you get the rest of your Specters, more discard by way of Scepter, and the card that no one seems to be playing Swerve. I hate cutting Grixis Charm since bouncing one of their comes into play tapped lands in actually quite relevant, especially if it's a Rupture Spire -- but Swerve is functionally Countersquall 5-7 in Misdirection mode, causing their Countersquall to target your Swerve. Additionally if your opponent ever decides to try point Esper Charm in its discard mode at you, things get ugly quick.
Against WW: -2 Sedraxis Specter, -4 Zombie Outlander, +3 Infest, +2 Agony Warp, +1 Magma Spray
You don't want to spend removal on anything that doesn't fly. Goblin Outlander clogs the ground by himself and so your only real concern are the 8 fliers -- Aven Squire and Battlegrace Angel -- and the springboard that is Elspeth, Knight-errant. Again hold Grixis Charm for Battlegrace Angel if possible and use your board sweepers judiciously. Infest gets around their sideboarded Mark of Asylum and Infest + Agony Warp can also take care of any annoying angels. Countersquall is best used to protect against Elspeth, Knight-errant and Sigil of Distinction which can make your removal look pretty pathetic if it hits.
If you're looking for a competitve deck and want to play something a bit different I'd recommend giving this deck a try -- it's not too pricy and plays surprisingly well in the current metagame.
5 Comments
have you tested this build at all? It looks interesting but I would guess more removal is needed.
Orrrr you could run Naya deck which won a ton of PE's over the past few weeks which only substantial investment is Noble Hierarch (although now it has added a couple of Vol).
I do enjoy the irony in 'this deck smashes Naya' next to 4 Countersquall and Blightning which is pretty clearly a non-starter. That and the massive 3 ways to beat a resolved Martial Coup.
From WoTCs posting of Top Decks I haven't found a Naya deck running only Noble Hierarch and Sarkhan Vol. The aggressive Naya decks running Cliffrunner Behemoth, like was contained in my previous article, are including Elspeth and are having more and more difficulty winning in a world of "big mana" Naya decks that contain Battlegrace Angel, Martial Coup, and in some cases Caldera Hellion in the main deck.
Coup is certainly not a spell this deck wants to see resolve, but between Countersquall which can counter the spell, Blightning which can knock it out of their hand, and Caldera Hellion which can mop up it isn't by any means hopeless. Furthermore Cruel Ultimatum and Banefire give the deck reach as needed.
Countersquall, Blightning, and Specter give the deck game against 5cc and make the deck a viable choice for the metagame. As Naya decks go bigger and bigger in an effort to gain the upper hand in the mirror, the control decks increase in value.
I was thinking of getting the hellion and those pro bears but i chose Id stik with a more fun dek. BR splash blue. Ur dek build seems like an urzas dek i have. sorta... but gota love those hellions.
Post Alara Reborn being Programmed into the Client, I've got a minor Changes, Just for Critique it'd be nice if someone would give the thought.
MD:
-1 Courier's Capsule
-1 Grixis Charm
-1 Arcane Sanctum
+3 Terminate (3 Main decked Removal Spells, and 3 Main decked Spells that Count as Instant Speed Removal, Pump or Bounce, Good in my book. i honestly don't think the deck REALLY needs 25 lands. in fact if it really mattered, i'd cut out the Sanctums and Savage Lands Entirely and put the Borderposts in their place. They provide extra incentive, and don't trigger opposing Anathemancers.)
SB:
-2 Magma Spray
-1 Swerve
+3 Anathemancer (Reasons behind this, it's not only a 2/2 body, but it's also a Price of Progress, with a Targetable Clause, And since Every Block Deck USUALLY plays AT LEAST 6-7 Or More Non-Basic Lands. This Should be MD, But i couldn't think of anything else to remove, honestly. the Sprays, Very Good. But how often are you going to see people using Unearth against you?)