ROGUE PLAY Extending Extended

by Nafiz Erman

Hello dear readers, it's once again time for another Rogue Play. This week we will together dive into the new world of new Extended and see what new opportunities and possibilities it offers us. Is this format worth investing? Is it worth spending time? But above else, is it fun?

This week dear readers, we will try to answer those questions.

But before we do that, there are things we must first discuss.

THE OLD EXTENDED

Let's be honest: The old extended was a dead format. No one was playing it. And why was it like that? Very simple actually: Because it didn't have a target audience!

And what does it mean? Well, as you know new players mainly play Standard and/or Block. And "new" here doesn't mean three months or one year. If you consider the card pool of the old extended, even three years of experience in Magic can be considered as new. The card pool of old extended was very large; this is seven years worth of cards we are talking about here!

And the format was absolutely not interesting for old players. I mean why would they not play Legacy or Vintage, and choose to play Extended? 

And so WotC had to make a choice: Let the format die or do something to let it flourish again.

THE DECISION

At the eighteenth of June, WotC made an announcement. They shrunk the format to just four years worth of cards instead of seven which, in a way, turned it into a "Double Standard". This decision left an additional three years of sets out of the format which are Mirrodin, Champions of Kamigawa, Ravnica, as well as Coldsnap.

ARE WE HAPPY?

Are we? This discussion has two sides as usual. One side believes that this was a good decision. They say that this brings a new fresh air to the format and that it will help to gain it some popularity.

One other reason why people liked this decision is the fact that the old Extended was dominated by some really absurd combo decks lately. Vampire Hexmage / Dark Depths and Sword of the Meek / Thopter Foundry were the combo decks to beat, and so were those Hypergenesis decks. While some do like to play Combo, most players hate losing to decks they can't answer to. Of course this is the nature of Combo decks but a second turn 20/20 flying indestructible monster was a bit too much. And also to be able to compete in the old Extended, most of the time people were in need of Ravnica duals which were incredibly expensive to get. I remember seeing Hallowed Fountain above $25,00 a few months ago. Breeding Pool was also very expensive. And those high prices of lands, which are essential parts of a deck, were a big barrier for most players to enter the format. Why pay $100,00 for only four lands which are only useful in a format no one plays?! I'm not even talking about Dark Depths which was near $40,00 the last time I checked! And finally many players are happy with the changes because Blood Moon is gone now. And Magus of the Moon is about to rotate out. This will remove all Blood Moon effects from the format giving multicolored decks some room to compete.

Of course there is another group of players who hated the changes and their main reason is financial actually. There are really a good amount of players who invested in old Extended's staple cards. Ravnica duals, Dark Depths, Cloudstone Curio and Glimpse of Nature, Umezawa's Jitte were all those cards people did invest. And all of a sudden, with one single announcement out of nowhere, those cards turned into almost junk.

And this pissed people off.

And one other reason why people complained about the changes was that Faeries deck from last year alone. You can't believe how many posts I read about that Fae.dec after the announcement. People really do hate it and after reading those posts, I even believe that it is by far the most hated deck of all -modern- times. For example someone wrote this:

"The dreariness of standard is now extended's problem. The format is dead to me."

And someone else did write this:

"...cause I sure as hell am not going to tournaments to see Faeries mirrors all day again."

These were of course some early judgments about the format and let me tell you that the situation is nowhere near being that hopeless.

THE CURTAIN OPENS

It has been sometime now since the format changed, and there has been plenty of tournaments on MTGO. So we can talk about a meta; at least an online one. I'm sure the next big paper event will change the current meta. I believe that people are a bit too lazy these days and just pick their old Standard decks, tweak them and enter tournaments with them. As you will also see for yourself in a moment, the Tier-1 online decks aren't that innovative at the moment.  But I will talk about the meta as a whole later in detail.

First let's take a look at what people play these days.

DECK #1: 
Faeries

What a big surprise! The well known Fae.dec is a Tier-1 deck of the format. Who would have thought?!

Joking aside, now that we don't have those really broken combo decks in Extended, players immediately picked up their decks from last year, and their first choice seems to be the Fae.

Here's what people play:

Faeries

As played in Dailies

Creatures 4 Mistbind Clique 4 Scion of Oona 4 Spellstutter Sprite 12 cards Other Spells 4 Smother 4 Bitterblossom 4 Ancestral Vision 4 Cryptic Command 4 Mana Leak 1 Jace, the Mind Sculptor 1 Slaughter Pact 22 cards

Lands 4 Mutavault 4 River of Tears 4 Secluded Glen 3 Creeping Tar Pit 2 Underground River 2 Tectonic Edge 1 Drowned Catacomb 6 Island 26 cards Sideboard 4 Thoughtseize 3 Flashfreeze 3 Deathmark 2 Negate 2 Consuming Vapors 1 Jace, the Mind Sculptor 15 cards

And here's one other version:

Faeries

As played in Dailies

Creatures 4 Vendilion Clique 4 Spellstutter Sprite 4 Scion of Oona 3 Mistbind Clique 15 cards Other Spells 4 Bitterblossom 4 Cryptic Command 4 Ancestral Vision 4 Mana Leak 2 Smother 1 Slaughter Pact 19 cards

Lands 4 Mutavault 4 Secluded Glen 3 Underground River 3 River of Tears 2 Creeping Tar Pit 2 Sunken Ruins 1 Pendelhaven 5 Island 2 Swamp 26 cards Sideboard 4 Leyline of the Void 3 Jace Beleren 3 Consuming Vapors 2 Duress 2 Damnation 1 Doom Blade 15 cards

So let's examine those two decks. What has changed since we last had Fae in Standard? Which new cards as well as old cards, does this deck like to play?

First and foremost, unlike what many would think, Jace, the Mind Sculptor can't find himself a nice and warm home in this deck. The first version only plays one in the maindeck for late game, and the other doesn't even bother. And why is that? Actually the answer is very simple: If there is one thing this deck hates, then it is being left tapped. And while other decks in this or other formats can afford that, Fae simply can't. The whole idea of this deck is to play its threats at the end of opponent's turn so that there is enough mana left open to counter spells. One other change in the deck is Smother. It replaced Agony Warp from last year's list and once again the reason is very obvious... It's Tarmogoyf of course!

Other than those, there are only a few minor additions such as Creeping Tar Pit and the obvious Mana Leak.

Okay now the big question: Is this deck still unbeatable? Is it still "the deck to beat"? The answer dear readers, lies in the next deck which is...

DECK#2:
 Scapeshift Combo

Actually many thought that this deck would die after losing the Ravnica duals and Sakura-Tribe Elder. But the online tournament results clearly prove otherwise. I follow the tournaments closely and there is almost always at least two Scapeshift decks in Top-8. And let's examine why.

Actually the biggest reason why this deck wins so frequently is the fact that its main damage source is a land. Fae can counter anything but it's helpless most of the time against an active Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle. And with the help of many mana ramping cards in the deck, Valakut becomes active quite fast.

Then there is the Grove of the Burnwillows / Punishing Fire combo which takes out the Aggro decks. Nothing can withstand this (apart from a few exceptions) and it's very easy to take out any resistance with just those two cards. Actually the "Burning Willows" combo can be seen in many decks these days in Extended but I believe that this one is the one that uses it the best. No other deck can generate mana this fast, and it's absolutely nothing unheard of to kill a Baneslayer Angel with a recurring Punishing Fire. I watched quite a few replays from Extended tournaments and saw how the Scapeshift deck slaughter Faeries. Some Fae players counter those early Rampant Growths and Search for Tomorrows, but then they die to Scapeshift. I've even witnessed Fae players dying to their own Bitterblossoms. And after sideboarding things get even more uglier with four Great Sable Stags and four Volcanic Fallouts!

Oh and here's the most widely played Scapeshift list by the way:

Scapeshift Combo

As played in Dailies

Creatures 4 Bloodbraid Elf 4 Kitchen Finks 4 Tarmogoyf 12 cards Other Spells 4 Rampant Growth 4 Punishing Fire 4 Search for Tomorrow 4 Scapeshift 3 Harmonize 3 Lightning Bolt 22 cards

Lands 4 Grove of the Burnwillows 4 Fire-Lit Thicket 3 Treetop Village 2 Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle 1 Oran-Rief, the Vastwood 10 Mountain 2 Forest 26 cards Sideboard 4 Great Sable Stag 4 Volcanic Fallout 4 Relic of Progenitus 2 Thought Hemorrhage 1 Swamp 15 cards

Very simple, very straightforward and yet incredibly powerful and fast.

And the sideboard also has some interesting things in it. Apart from the obvious Volcanic Fallout and Great Sable Stag, it also contains Thought Hemorrhage (and a Swamp to be able to cast it) to deal with Combo. What good is an Ad Nauseam / Conflagrate combo deck without one of those two cards? What good is a Living End deck without Living End?

So at the moment this is kind of the "deck to beat" on MTGO. And to be completely honest, I still can't believe it. Not only because it surprises me that it survived the rotation, but also because it is in reality a deck that can be hated very easily. There are still lots of very effective LD spells in Extended and Scapeshift can be countered with all kinds of counterspells. And besides, we now have Leyline of Sanctity in the format.

Finally I believe that this deck will lose a lot of power (if not die completely) after the next rotation which will happen in a very short time. I have no idea what Scars of Mirrodin will bring but I don't think that it will have something that can replace Grove of the Burnwillows.

Okay, from one good deck let's move onto another good one.

DECK#3:
 Ad Nauseam / Conflagrate Combo

This is in my opinion the most innovative deck in the format. It's a bit fragile but it's equally deadly. First let me share with you the deck list and then we'll talk.

Ad Nauseam / Conflagrate

As played in Dailies

Creatures 4 Simian Spirit Guide 1 Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir 5 cards Other Spells 4 Ad Nauseam 4 Angel's Grace 4 Coalition Relic 4 Lotus Bloom 4 Ponder 4 Pact of Negation 4 Mystical Teachings 3 Punishing Fire 2 Preordain 1 Conflagrate 34 cards

Lands 4 Grove of the Burnwillows 4 Reflecting Pool 4 Vivid Crag 3 Vivid Creek 2 Creeping Tar Pit 2 Underground River 1 Gemstone Mine 1 Vivid Marsh 21 cards Sideboard 4 Thoughtseize 3 Silence 3 Rest for the Weary 2 Slaughter Pact 1 Volcanic Fallout 1 Extirpate 1 Wipe Away 15 cards

If you haven't seen this one in action, then this list might not make much sense at first sight. And therefore a bit of an explanation could be needed.

So the aim here is to find one Ad Nauseam first and then to cast it. Then the pilot draws cards with it until he finds himself his lone Conflagrate and then casts it on his turn. Most of the time X is equal to "not too much" the first time he casts it; even zero. But then he Flashback's it and discards all those cards he just drew with Ad Nauseam and this time X is always equal to a number that is enough to kill the opponent. Of course you may think that this process can kill the pilot. And this is exactly why Angel's Grace is in the deck. The pilot casts it just before he casts his Ad Nauseam, and then draws his entire library without any fear of losing the game. And finally you may think of counterspells. You may think that the opponent can always counter Ad Nauseam or that lone Conflagrate. And this is exactly the reason why this deck has four Pact of Negations. The pilot will draw all his library with Ad Nauseam most of the time, and this means that he will almost always have his full playset of Pact of Negations. And unless the opponent can play five counterspells in the same turn, he will eventually die to a "X=too much" Conflagrate.

So everything must be clear now. And what weaknesses does this deck has? First of all, it is very fragile. Ad Nauseam is a costly card (mana-wise) and it alone isn't enough to win; Angel's Grace is also needed. Secondly, the deck is a bit light on mana for my taste. And finally a good opponent with some counter magic back up, can take it down easily (such as any Fae player). Ad Nauseam must never resolve and if one can achieve that the game will be an easy one.

And finally, just like all other Combo decks, this one is very hard to master. There will be many different and very hard situations where the wrong decision will cost the pilot the game. This really isn't a deck for novice players and even the good ones might not play it correctly. 

Okay let's move forward and examine the next Tier-1 deck of the format.

DECK #4:
Elfball

You may like it or not (I personally don't) but there is one thing that never changes: This archetype never dies. Elves were always a top-notch deck in Magic and the loss of Cloudstone Curio and Glimpse of Nature didn't change this fact. The Elves always find a way to enter the tournament scene, and they just did it again.

Here's how they look like in the format:

Elfball

As played in Dailies

Creatures 4 Elvish Archdruid 4 Ranger of Eos 4 Nettle Sentinel 4 Heritage Druid 4 Elvish Visionary 4 Llanowar Elves 3 Joraga Treespeaker 3 Regal Force 2 Fauna Shaman 1 Joraga Warcaller 33 cards Other Spells 4 Primal Command 4 Summoner's Pact 8 cards

Lands 4 Horizon Canopy 4 Brushland 1 Pendelhaven 10 Forest 19 cards Sideboard 4 Burrenton Forge-Tender 3 Tajuru Preserver 3 Vengevine 2 Fauna Shaman 1 Acidic Slime 1 Dauntless Escort 1 Oversoul of Dusk 15 cards

This is another deck from last year's Standard with a few additions from Zendikar and M11. I played against it many times and I know that it is absolutely not a mindless and boring Elves! deck. Volcanic Fallout and/or Punishing Fire are very deadly against it but if you examine the sideboard you'll see that the Elves! players are also aware of it.

Fauna Shaman is the latest addition to the list giving the pilot the possibility to have the deadly Regal Force in hand especially when it is needed.

DECK #5:
 Living End

This is another very deadly Combo deck of the format. Hypergenesis may be gone but its cousin Living End is still here. 

I always loved Living Death and built a lot of decks back then. When Living End first came out, I was very disappointed with it because it was way too slow which made it totally unplayable, but things dramatically changed after Shards of Alara brought Cascade into Magic.

First let me show the deck list. Then I will say a few things about it.

Living End

As played in Dailies

Creatures 4 Avalanche Riders 4 Shriekmaw 4 Street Wraith 4 Deadshot Minotaur 4 Fulminator Mage 4 Monstrous Carabid 3 Valley Rannet 2 Twisted Abomination 1 Dryad Arbor 30 cards Other Spells 4 Living End 4 Violent Outburst 4 Demonic Dread 12 cards

Lands 4 Grove of the Burnwillows 4 Verdant Catacombs 3 Dragonskull Summit 3 Mountain 3 Swamp 2 Forest 19 cards Sideboard 4 Leyline of the Void 4 Kitchen Finks 3 Krosan Grip 2 Ricochet Trap 2 Thought Hemorrhage 15 cards

There are two things I have to say about this deck. One is that its eight LD creatures (Avalanche Riders & Fulminator Mage) are worthy of mentioning. They make life very hard for Control decks as well as Scapeshift decks but even other decks low on mana curve get hit pretty hard by them.

And the second thing I want to mention is that it is just another deck that can be hated pretty easily. Graveyard hate is plenty in the format and a turn zero Leyline of the Void or a Tormod's Crypt will hurt it pretty bad. Surely there are those three Krosan Grips with Split Second in the sideboard but most of the time they are just not enough and a bit late. This deck must fill its graveyard pretty fast and a timely Tormod's Crypt can shut it down quite easily.

And finally, this is just another deck that heavily uses Time Spiral cards. Which of course means that the next rotation will kill the deck. Sad but true.

DECK #6 - #7 - #8 - #9 Aggro Decks
 Aggro, Merfolk, Doran Rock, RDW

The next decks are the best Aggro decks of the format. Until now, all I showed you was Control and Combo. But if you like turning your men sideways, then these next decks are your best choices.

Red / Green Beats

As played in Dailies

Creatures 4 Boggart Ram-Gang 4 Figure of Destiny 4 Bloodbraid Elf 4 Tarmogoyf 4 Goblin Guide 20 cards Other Spells 4 Lightning Bolt 4 Searing Blaze 4 Punishing Fire 4 Rift Bolt 16 cards

Lands 4 Grove of the Burnwillows 4 Fire-Lit Thicket 4 Rootbound Crag 3 Arid Mesa 2 Scalding Tarn 2 Karplusan Forest 5 Mountain 24 cards Sideboard 4 Demigod of Revenge 4 Tormod's Crypt 4 Sulfur Elemental 3 Flame Slash 15 cards

Very simple and very efficient. Directly to the point. Directly to the dome.

Merfolk

As played in Dailies

Creatures 4 Cursecatcher 4 Coralhelm Commander 4 Silvergill Adept 4 Merrow Reejerey 4 Lord of Atlantis 2 Scroll Thief 22 cards Other Spells 4 Mana Leak 4 Cryptic Command 4 Ponder 3 Spreading Seas 15 cards

Lands 4 Misty Rainforest 3 Mutavault 2 Scalding Tarn 14 Island 23 cards Sideboard 4 Unified Will 3 Pithing Needle 2 Controlled Instincts 2 Vendilion Clique 1 Sword of Vengeance 1 Crystal Ball 1 Basilisk Collar 1 Merfolk Sovereign 15 cards

The good ol' Merfolk. It is also possible to play this as a  deck with Sygg, River Guide but this version is more consistent. 

This next deck is one of my favorites:

Doran Rock(s)

As can be found on the net

Creatures 4 Doran, the Siege Tower 4 Treefolk Harbinger 4 Knight of the Reliquary 4 Tarmogoyf 4 Noble Hierarch 1 Reveillark 21 cards Other Spells 4 Thoughtseize 4 Maelstrom Pulse 3 Elspeth, Knight-Errant 3 Path to Exile 1 Nameless Inversion 15 cards

Lands 4 Treetop Village 4 Verdant Catacombs 3 Marsh Flats 3 Murmuring Bosk 1 Horizon Canopy 1 Misty Rainforest 1 Bojuka Bog 4 Forest 2 Plains 1 Swamp 24 cards Sideboard 4 Leyline of the Void 3 Zealous Persecution 3 Kitchen Finks 2 Burrenton Forge-Tender 1 Reveillark 1 Chameleon Colossus 1 Wickerbough Elder 15 cards

I wouldn't build my Doran deck like this but others do, and they are successful with it. 

And the final beat down deck of this article is again a deck we know from every format; Red Deck Wins.

Demigod Red

As can be found on the net

Creatures 4 Magus of the Moon 4 Magus of the Scroll 4 Demigod of Revenge 4 Kargan Dragonlord 4 Figure of Destiny 4 Ashenmoor Gouger 24 cards Other Spells 4 Lightning Bolt 4 Incinerate 4 Flame Javelin 12 cards

Lands 3 Keldon Megaliths 21 Mountain 24 cards Sideboard 4 Magma Spray 4 Volcanic Fallout 4 Fulminator Mage 3 Sulfur Elemental 15 cards

I would personally play Goblin Guide over Ashenmoor Gouger and Rift Bolt over Incinerate but those are minor things. The fact is that everyone underestimates this deck and everyone always loses to it. Everyone perfectly knows how it works and no one can stop it. How ironic!

DECK #10 - #11
Reveillark Decks

This is another deck type from last year's Standard and apparently it lost none of its potency. There are many different ways one can build an efficient Reveillark deck, but I'm going to present you two already proven ones.

The first one is this:

UWR Lark Control

As can be found on the net

Creatures 4 Wall of Omens 4 Mulldrifter 3 Reveillark 3 Knight of the White Orchid 2 Sower of Temptation 2 Baneslayer Angel 1 Venser, Shaper Savant 19 cards Other Spells 4 Fieldmist Borderpost 3 Jace, the Mind Sculptor 3 Cryptic Command 3 Path to Exile 2 Volcanic Fallout 2 Wrath of God 2 Mana Leak 19 cards

Lands 4 Mystic Gate 4 Celestial Colonnade 3 Cascade Bluffs 3 Arid Mesa 3 Mountain 3 Plains 2 Island 22 cards Sideboard 4 Meddling Mage 3 Runed Halo 3 Negate 2 Faerie Macabre 2 Glen Elendra Archmage 1 Volcanic Fallout 15 cards

To be honest, a  Reveillark deck is also something I am toying with. And I do like the above version a lot because it is a very nice combination of last year's Reveillark deck with this year's  Planeswalkers Control deck. This is really one of my favorite decks in this article.

The next Reveillark deck is something more innovative and deadly:

Fauna Lark

As can be found on the net

Creatures 4 Fauna Shaman 4 Mulldrifter 4 Noble Hierarch 4 Reveillark 4 Knight of the Reliquary 3 Birds of Paradise 3 Kitchen Finks 1 Baneslayer Angel 1 Body Double 1 Mirror Entity 1 Sower of Temptation 1 Venser, Shaper Savant 31 cards Other Spells 4 Mana Leak 2 Path to Exile 6 cards

Lands 4 Misty Rainforest 2 Verdant Catacombs 2 Horizon Canopy 2 Flooded Grove 1 Celestial Colonnade 1 Brushland 1 Glacial Fortress 1 Yavimaya Coast 1 Sejiri Steppe 1 Stirring Wildwood 4 Forest 2 Island 2 Plains 24 cards Sideboard 3 Condemn 3 Negate 2 Qasali Pridemage 2 Glen Elendra Archmage 1 Kitchen Finks 1 Kor Firewalker 1 Windborn Muse 1 Meddling Mage 1 Path to Exile 15 cards

As I said, this is a very deadly deck that combines Reveillark with Fauna Shaman. I personally don't like the idea of going out with just two removal spells but brave players do that and apparently they get good results.

DECK #12:
 Jund

Oh yes, Jund is here as well. Even though this is a different Jund than the one we know from Standard, it's still Jund, it's still deadly as it is in Standard, and Bloodbraid Elf still cascades into Blightning!

Extended Jund

As can be found on the net

Creatures 4 Bloodbraid Elf 4 Boggart Ram-Gang 4 Tarmogoyf 3 Sygg, River Cutthroat 2 Anathemancer 17 cards Other Spells 4 Blightning 4 Maelstrom Pulse 4 Lightning Bolt 4 Punishing Fire 2 Bituminous Blast 18 cards

Lands 4 Grove of the Burnwillows 4 Verdant Catacombs 4 Savage Lands 2 Twilight Mire 2 Graven Cairns 3 Forest 3 Mountain 3 Swamp 25 cards Sideboard 4 Great Sable Stag 4 Kitchen Finks 3 Chameleon Colossus 2 Anathemancer 2 Banefire 15 cards

So this is more or less how the Jund menace looks like in Extended. As you can see the Grove of the Burnwillows / Punishing Fire combo is everywhere and Jund is no exception. Those two cards at the moment are a must in the format and one should really have a good reason for not playing them (a such good reason is the Fae of course). The next thing worthy of mentioning is the fact that the Extended version plays two main deck Anathemancers. This is totally acceptable and understandable as the format is full with nonbasics. There are only a few match-ups (such as Elfball and RDW) where this Zombie is not needed, but against the rest of the field it's such a killer. And we also see Sygg, River Cutthroat in the deck. This may be surprising to some but definately not to me. Card drawing is always very important and this "dark version" of Sygg does it perfectly. Oh and he doesn't die to Punishing Fire (at least not to the first one) as well which makes him even more important and useful.

There are few things I would do differently in the sideboard but those are personal choices. I would for example add a few cards to deal with graveyards and a few Thought Hemorrhages to deal with Combo. Also Volcanic Fallout against the Fae is never a bad idea. 

DECK #13:
 Junk

And this is the last deck of the article as well as my favorite deck of the format. Now let's think for a second. What is the best removal in the format? No it's not that. No, not that one either. It's Punishing Fire of course! As I said above, Punishing Fire plus Grove of the Burnwillows is kind of a must in the format. Which put us into Red and Green.

Now let's continue thinking. What are the best ways to deal with the Fae? Yes, this time you're right. Volcanic Fallout and Great Sable Stag. So we're still in Red and Green. Okay let's move forward. Which ones are the most useful creatures? Yup, you're right once again. Bloodbraid Elf, Kitchen Finks and Tarmogoyf. Still in Red and Green.

Okay now another question: Which one is the most powerful card in the format? Surely and without doubt it's Jace, the Mind Sculptor. And now that we entered the realm of Blue, which other cards can we use from Blue? Is there a good counterspell? Of course there is, and it is Cryptic Command. Do you want some extra cards as well? Okay, then I have Ancestral Vision for you!

Maybe you aren't aware dear readers, but we just built the most powerful deck of the format using the best cards of the format.

URG Junk

As played by many

Creatures 4 Bloodbraid Elf 4 Tarmogoyf 4 Lotus Cobra 4 Kitchen Finks 3 Vendilion Clique 19 cards Other Spells 4 Ancestral Vision 4 Cryptic Command 4 Punishing Fire 4 Lightning Bolt 2 Jace, the Mind Sculptor 18 cards

Lands 4 Grove of the Burnwillows 4 Scalding Tarn 3 Misty Rainforest 3 Flooded Grove 2 Cascade Bluffs 4 Island 2 Forest 1 Mountain 23 cards Sideboard 4 Great Sable Stag 4 Negate 3 Volcanic Fallout 3 Relic of Progenitus 1 Primal Command 15 cards

This is in my opinion the best deck in the format. All it has to do is to adjust itself to deal with the current Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle madness which is very easy to do for this deck. 

Currently I also play a version of this deck. There are only a few things I do differently but I will talk about those changes in the future. This article is a compilation of what people play. What I play is the subject of a future article.

Well, I don't think that there is much to talk about this deck. The only thing I want to say is this: Bloodbraid Elf into Ancestral Vision is tons of fun! Really, you should try it, it's awesome.

CONCLUSION

Okay dear readers, I think this was lots of stuff to digest at once. There are of course many other decks out there which even win tournaments (such as Kithin, Bant, Seismic Swans etc..), but these were the ones I wanted to mention.

And this is how the new Extended looks like at the moment; at least on MTGO. I am personally very eager to see what kind of decks the pros will build. Surely the next big paper event will include tons of Fae, Scapeshift, Jund and  Junk decks, but I'm sure there will also be some really interesting stuff as well. Let's wait for Pro Tour Amsterdam which will happen in a very short time, and see what happens.

At the beginning of the article, I asked a question: I said "Are we happy?". The answer seems to be a "yes" dear readers. The tournaments for this new Extended fire constantly with a good number of players. Back in the days of old Extended, this was a rare sight. No one was playing it unless they were forced to by WotC. So apparently people liked this new Extended. And I'm sure that the attendance will raise after Time Spiral rotates out. Rotation is a healthy procedure and let's see what people will play after Tarmogoyf and "Burning Willows" fade into the shadows.

NEXT WEEK ON ROGUE PLAY
Going Rogue in Extended

My adventures in this new Extended continues. Next week I will present you some very nice decks if you don't like playing any of the above. I will also present you some very nice casual Extended decks as well. After all, this format isn't only created to please those hardcore Spikes!

Thanks for reading.

See you online
Nafiz Erman, aka Lord Erman