One of the nice things about Magic Online is that there is no shortage of playable formats. While the Lion's share of constructed tournaments are taken up by Pauper, Standard, and Block Constructed, it's really not that difficult to get a casual game or a 2-man queue started in any of the other formats. So, what format do you want to play? That's a decision based on several factors, but the main three factors are as follows.
1. Can you afford to play in a format? Most players have at least some kind of budget, and therefore don't have access to 4 copies of every card released online. Affordability is one of the main reasons Pauper is popular.
I'm going to include some rough estimates for the cost of the decks in various formats but that doesn't really show the whole picture. If you're going to stay competitive in standard, you're going to need to buy $40-$100 worth of cards every time a new expansion comes out. Also most of the cards you buy have a limited lifetime until they rotate out of standard. Eternal formats like 100 Singleton, Classic, and Pauper don't have either of these problems. So once you assemble a deck in one of these formats, it is most likely going to last a lot longer than a standard deck.
2. Is this format fun to play? We all have different ideas of what is fun and what isn't fun to play. While those ideas will tend to differ from player to player, there is at least one quality that is fairly universal. Fun formats usually have a lot of variety of decks and decktypes. It's generally not fun if there is only one dominant deck or decktype and everyone ends up playing the mirror match all the time.
3. Is there room for originality? Some formats are so thoroughly played, tested, and refined that natural deckbuilders don't have the room to come up with something that is both competitive and original. This is one of the advantages of the singleton formats. There is still a lot of room for deckbuilders to make unique choices.
4. Is there room for player skill? If the format is so random that games are decided by a flip of a coin, some players will avoid that format like the plague. I know some players didn't like Alara Block because of how much luck was involved with the cascade mechanic.
Now, let's look at some of the numbers. I've scoured over the decklists from the prize-winning tournament decks from the week of 10/29/09 to see what the masters are playing after Zendikar was unleashed online.
Most of my data are from this link. http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/activity/309
Standard
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Standard is all about fine tuning a deck and playing in a well known field. If you like making finely tuned changes to a deck to prepare for a specific metagame then standard is probably the place you should be. If you enjoy playing other players with the same deck, then standard is the way to go. If you like finding a deck that is the answer to a popular deck, than standard is well suited to your interests.
Standard is king when it comes to finding a tournament. There are several tournaments a day from 2-man queues all the way up to premiere events. If you're going to want to play a lot over a short period of time, give standard a try.
Jund is obviously the big elephant in the room when it comes to standard. Even though there are a lot of different decks that have put up decent finishes. Expect to play a lot of matches against Jund if you start playing standard.
Here are a couple of the more interesting decks in standard from last week's posted tournament results.
This deck makes use of 2 of the most sought-after Mythic rares. Besides being a pain in the pocketbook, this deck has some serious power, and can accelerate to a huge unfair creature very quickly.
Thanks to the combination of Goblin Bushwhacker and Ranger of Eos this deck can recover quickly after a sweeper and can create an overrun style of attack out of nowhere.
Jund only gets better from it's transition from block constructed to standard. With some of the most broken spells in the game at it's disposal, Jund is difficult to beat.
Vampires is kind of an obvious deck to construct, but it is more difficult to play than it may appear to be. Also knowing how many Eldrazi Monuments to play seems like a difficult decision.
With so many ball lightning effects, you know it was only a matter of time before this kind of deck started looking really good.
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Classic
| Format: Classic |
|
Date: 10/18/09 |
|
|
| Deck Type |
Frequency |
Example Link |
Example Deck Cost |
Example Deck Creator |
| WGR Zoo - Isochron |
1 |
WGR Isochron |
$608.47 |
Bazaar of Baghdad, 4-0 |
| Charbelcher - Warrens |
1 |
Charbelcher |
$673.51 |
vpgorman, 4-0 |
| Elves |
1 |
Elves |
$88.09 |
Walaoumpa, 3-1 |
| Merfolk |
1 |
Merfolk |
$287.41 |
Calavera, 3-1 |
| Dredge |
1 |
Dredge |
$177.65 |
dunkle_stille, 3-1 |
| GB Rock |
1 |
GB Rock |
$521.81 |
Szach, 3-1 |
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I know next to nothing about classic, and there are plenty of writers on this site that know it inside and out. All I know is that after reviewing the only classic tournament that was posted, I discovered some small evidence to make the following claims about classic.
1) Force of Will is not a must have card.
2) There are a lot of different kinds of decks out there. Based on the one result that was posted this week, there seems to be a significant variety of available decks out there.
3) There is at least one viable cheap classic deck. The elf deck piloted by Walaoumpa to a 3-1 result is only $88.
Classic has its own appeal that is hard to describe. I would try, but I would think it's better left to some of the awesome Classic writers here on PureMtgo.
http://puremtgo.com/articles/whiffys-lunch-box-37-zendikar-classic-and-some-things-start-pre
http://puremtgo.com/articles/flying-hippos-abcs-classic
http://puremtgo.com/articles/its-all-about-mana-when-dealing-ichorid
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Core Set Constructed
| Format: Core Set Constructed |
|
Date: 10/17/09 - 10/24/09 |
|
|
| Deck Type |
Frequency |
Example Link |
Example Deck Cost |
Example Deck Creator |
| WU Control |
5 |
WU Control |
$256.24 |
cpage01, 1st Place |
| UR Magnivore |
4 |
UR Magnivore |
$12.54 |
dsts22, 6th Place |
| White Weenie |
2 |
White Weenie |
$41.38 |
chobo13, 2nd Place |
| Ensnaring Bridge Red |
1 |
Ensnaring Bridge Red |
$30.02 |
CharToYourFace, 6th Place |
| UG Opposition |
2 |
UG Opposition |
$56.75 |
ceobry01, 7th Place |
| GR Plow Under |
1 |
GR Plow Under |
$92.66 |
el_fake, 8th Place |
| Mono Black Corrupt Rats |
1 |
Mono Black Corrupt Rats |
$43.34 |
intherain, 3rd Place |
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Core Set Constructed revolves around a few really powerful cards such as Magnivore, Baneslayer Angel, Planeswalkers, and Opposition. These few powerful cards stand out among a lot of solid yet not really broken cards.
Also, Core Set Constructed has some of the cheapest competitive decks around. For instance the Magnivore deck can be cheaper than a lot of Pauper decks.
Controlling the board with Land Disruption and Counterspells ... $12.54. Beating a deck with Baneslayer Angels.... Priceless...
If you've got the golden angels, this is a good way to use them.
With 8 turn 1 accelerators that double as free Icy Manipulators in the late game, this deck can be fast.
Conclusions: Core Set Constructed has some interesting and cheap decks as well as expensive decks if you've already got a set of Baneslayer Angels.
http://puremtgo.com/articles/rogue-play-core
http://puremtgo.com/articles/core-set-constructed-detailed-analysis
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100 Singleton
| Format: 100 Singleton |
|
Date: 10/24/09 |
|
|
| Deck Type |
# of Decks |
Example Link |
Example Deck Cost |
Example Deck Creator |
| U Based Control |
3 |
UBW Control |
$397.54 |
Samwise_GeeGee, 1st Place |
| Mono Red Burn |
2 |
Goblin Burn |
$239.68 |
E. Hustle, 2nd Place |
| Multi-Color Reanimation |
2 |
4 Color Reanimator |
$487.24
|
slug360, 3rd Place |
| Naya-Geddon |
1 |
Naya-Geddon |
$408.65 |
so many trolls, 6th Place |
Standard Singleton
| Format: Standard Singleton |
|
Date: 10/18/09 |
|
|
| Deck Type |
Frequency |
Example Link |
Example Deck Cost |
Example Deck Creator |
| WGR - Naya - Aggro |
2 |
WGR Naya |
$169.48 |
eddie112, 1st Place |
| BUW - Esper -Control |
1 |
BUW Esper |
$113.44 |
Kikiijiki, 3rd Place |
| UWG - Bant - Aggro |
2 |
UWG Bant |
$134.59 |
Gainsay, 6th Place |
| BRG - Jund - Aggro |
1 |
BRG Jund |
$68.44 |
Auroradragon, 5th Place |
| 5 - Color - Control |
1 |
5 Color Control |
$72.38 |
Zwick, 7th Place |
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This deck has a variety of control cards and Esper creatures. There's not much hard control in standard or standard singleton, but you can easily go for a more reactive controlling strategy with something like this deck.
Creatures and Planeswalkers dominate Standard Singleton, and this one takes advantage of the best of both worlds.
Doesn't it seem like you can make a Jund deck in just about every format? Hmm... maybe it's just me...
Anyway, Standard Singleton is for players who want to play games that aren't predictible. 100 singleton has tutors to control the nature of the game to a much higher degree than in Standard Singleton. Standard Singleton is like playing a draft or sealed deck game where you get choose what is in your cardpool. Games will rarely end the same way, you need to be able to think on your feet. If you like sealed deck and draft, this is the constructed format for you. It's also not too expensive to try out for the first time, with more than one deck below the $100 range.
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Pauper
| Format: Pauper |
|
Dates: 10/17/09 to 10/25/09 |
|
|
| Deck Type |
Frequency |
Example Link |
Example Deck Cost |
Example Deck Creator |
| UB Teachings |
4 |
UB Teachings |
$24.84 |
Pherra, 1st Place |
| UWR Blink |
2 |
UWR Blink |
$23.39 |
XaneHavenstar, 2nd Place |
| Goblin Burn |
5 |
Goblin Burn |
$11.31 |
Numdiar, 3rd Place |
| Bu Control |
2 |
Bu Control |
$37.89 |
rainin6, 4th Place |
| WG Slivers |
2 |
WG Slivers |
$17.04 |
Fantabio, 2nd Place |
| Affinity |
1 |
Affinity |
$32.33 |
Hydravatar, 8th Place |
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Based on the two events that were posted last week, pauper seems to have a large variety of decktypes.
Pauper is the entrypoint for many deckbuilders because of the cost factor. This also means that Pauper is played almost as much as Standard. If you're on a short budget, and don't mind playing in a highly competitive format, Pauper is the format for you.
http://puremtgo.com/articles/pure-skill-mbc
http://puremtgo.com/articles/pauper-people-zen-and-lsv
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Well, I hope this information is helpful to you if you are planning on trying out a constructed format. They all have their advantages and disadvantages. If you want to learn more about any of the formats that I've briefly discussed here, search the archives. There is a wealth of information that is just waiting to be found.
- Marcus - Shuyin Knight of Zanarkand on Magic Online
ArchGenius@aol.com
13 Comments
Oooh you found a big purple (violet?) button to click! Nice :) I was just thinking youd use the ole <button onclick='doSomething()'> tag that is par for the course but that works too. :D And holy moly Batman! Thats a lot of decks! Nice analyses without getting too into depth in any one. Sharing top 8 decks is always a good starting point for discussion on how the format works. I feel like you missed some formats (extended, tribal wars, etc) but I understand you only have so much time in a given day to write these articles. :) As far as I can tell from reading it you had no typos! (I wish I could say the same for my latest which I am waiting to get back from submission for a revision or 3.)
I worked with all of the Magic Online Post-Zendikar constructed decklists that have been posted.
The formats that are missing are most likely not there because they didn't have a tournament a medium to large tournament with posted results that I could find.
I'm planning to look at Zendikar Block as soon as I can get some data on it.
extended and tribal wars doesnt get enpough people to fire atm though, so no lists posted
on wizards site.
The purple buttons: Excellent. In fact, they look gorgeous.
Charts: Excellent.
Decks: The deck editor still doesn't recognize MED3 and ZEN cards and therefore some are very confusing.
The general look: Very clean and neat.
Overall: Perfect.
A question: I wanted to check that Mono White Standard deck and clicked the link you provided but there I saw no such deck. Something's wrong?
LE
I probably transposed a tournament number or something like that. I'll try to find the link and get back to you.
Here's the Mono-White Deck
jongsuklee, 4-0
636532
2 Emeria, the Sky Ruin
2 Gargoyle Castle
20 Plains
4 Baneslayer Angel
4 Knight of the White Orchid
4 White Knight
1 Ajani Goldmane
2 Conqueror's Pledge
3 Day of Judgment
3 Elspeth, Knight-Errant
3 Harm's Way
4 Honor of the Pure
2 Martial Coup
3 Oblivion Ring
3 Path to Exile
2 Brave the Elements
4 Celestial Purge
4 Devout Lightcaster
4 Ethersworn Canonist
1 Harm's Way
Great article I found it incredibly helpful/informative
good article. i think jund and vampires are clearly the best two decks in standard, but if you're going to play mono white, then you're going to need the fourth copy of Path to Exile, even when playing serious board sweepers like Day of Judgement or Martial Coupe. They need to be in hand when Vampire Nocturnous hits the board and there's very few threats in standard that can't be solved with it. Also, Soul Warden and that exalted one drop solider are both good tutor targets for Ranger of Eos, i'm surprised they don't see more play- even as one of's in a toolbox.
Does belcher really costs 670 or is it a typo?
That valakut hellkite deck is very very similar to the deck I've been testing with. I must admit, I didn't think of it as remotely competitive until I randomly took it for a few games in the tp room. The problem is, people keep conceding when you drop a panorama, saying "i don't want to test against budget decks", or the like. There's something very satisfying about being dead next turn, then randomly topdecking harrow and burning them out for 18!
You caught another one of my mistakes. I mixed up the prices for merfolk and Charbelcher. Charbelcher is only $287 and Merfolk with dual lands and a full set of Force of Wills is $673
It runs Hellspark Elemental over Plated Geopede...that's a pretty ballsy play imo. You're essentially guaranteeing 6 points of dmg because of trample and most people won't waste a bolt or burst on it cause it goes away after each use anyway. But wouldn't the standard Geopede still be better cause it has the potential to deal more dmg? Just thinking out loud here and curious on others thoughts.
Um..that decklist has Plated Geopede in it. Just the lists are screwed up with how the "Creatures" and "Non-Creatures" are seperated out.
-M