Video: Abzan Morphs In Standard!
The possibilities with morph in this format are becoming endless, and nobody is better at experimenting with new combinations of interesting deck dynamics than Sam Black. Today, he prepares you to turn cards face up for value at #SCGCLE.
Testing over the last couple days has taken me in a different direction with Deathmist Raptor and Den Protector, and I’ve been really happy with this deck.
I’ve liked the idea of using Den Protector with black removal for a long time but generally found it a bit too clunky. What makes this work is that, thanks to the popularity of Esper Dragons, Thoughtseize is very well-positioned, and returning it with Den Protector is very powerful. The synergies between the megamorph creatures, Whisperwood Elemental, and Mastery of the Unseen are powerful enough to overpower most midrange and control decks, and pairing the black removal with Deathmist Raptor’s blocking and Mastery of the Unseen’s lifegain offers a reasonable plan against aggressive decks.
Round 1
I didn’t really learn exactly what my opponent’s deck was after the first game, and my opponent’s draw clearly wasn’t great, but it still showcased how I’m looking to grind through control. The second game played out similarly, and I never really saw why my opponent was green outside of Sultai Charm, which seems a lot worse than Dragonlord Ojutai.
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Round 2
I expect to be pretty disadvantaged in the first game again Red Aggro with this deck in general, but the hand I kept was definitely particularly bad, though I did draw out of it reasonably, and it even looked for a moment like I might manage to turn things around.
Game 2 I obviously won on absolutely no margin and could have lost at any time, but it showed how strong Drown in Sorrow backed by lifegain can be here.
For the third game, my draw was pretty good and I still lost, but my opponent had a basically perfect start on the play. Overall, I expect this matchup to be not great, but it is at a point where I’d be satisfied with it.
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Round 3
I spent a lot of time testing G/W Aggro for the Pro Tour, and I ultimately decided not to play it because I couldn’t get it to a point where I was happy with it against Abzan Control. This deck is quite a bit different from Abzan Control, but the fundamental issues here are similar, and I’d expect any G/W Aggro deck to have a tough time in this matchup.
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Round 4
I really didn’t expect to lose the first game after seeing the hand my opponent kept, but I kind of understand how it happened, and I’m not really sure what to make of it. The second game made a really strong case for Ultimate Price over Surge of Righteousness in the sideboard, as I think I would have won that game pretty easily if the Surges were Ultimate Price, but because I couldn’t kill Stormbreath Dragon, I lost very badly instead. If you expect a lot of Stormbreath Dragons, it’s probably better to go the other way.
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The synergies in this deck have really impressed me, and I like the threat base I have, and I like having a relatively high number of threats here, but I’m still not exactly sure on which interactive spells are best. Some Abzan decks are moving away from Bile Blight toward something like maindeck Valorous Stance or Ultimate Price. Valorous Stance would make the deck a lot better against Esper Dragons, but I don’t really think I need the points there, and Ultimate Price would be great against Stormbreath Dragon, but in either case, I’m worried about how much it would hurt the Red Aggro matchup, where I don’t really have the points to lose. It’s possible that Utter End is too clunky, and I should have another Hero’s Downfall instead, but I do like the added versatility when combined with Den Protector.
For now, I’m still happy with the maindeck configuration, but I think the sideboard could be tweaked and might need a different removal suite, or possibly more removal instead of the planeswalkers. It would be possible to cut Duress from the sideboard given that I’m in a pretty good place against control, but I think it’s a high-value slot (it’s exactly what I want against them, and each one is pretty high impact), and I need something in that slot that can come in against them, so if it were to become a removal spell, it would basically have to be Valorous Stance.