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Thirst for Knowledge: Blightning StormBy Chris Jobin on April 24th, 2009 · Filed in Thirst for Knowledge, Block Constructed, Standard (Type 2) · 24 CommentsThe end of April is fast-approaching, and that means that a new set is hot on our heels. With an entire qualifying season all its own and a Grand Prix right around the corner, all eyes are on the Standard format. And while I am knee-deep in textbooks preparing for my finals this week, I feel the need to throw some of my thoughts on the upcoming format into the ring. The show must go on, after all! I've missed you. When Lorwyn rotates from Standard this fall, Terminate will almost undoubtedly find its place in the format as a top-notch removal spell. I can still see Five Color playing it between now and then, though it's hard to justify it in light of the Burrenton Forge-Tender argument. On the other hand, it does kill the black half of Broodmate Dragon, though the relevance of that is pretty negligible as the chances of you having two removal spells (one for the red half, and one for the other) in the first place is pretty slim. An increase in the number of black creatures seeing play coupled with Terminate's ability to off the lone Faerie rogue token standing in your way might make it see a great deal of play over Terror, though, so there's room for plenty of error in my judgment. *** Take that, redundancy! The power of this card comes from the fact that it punishes redundancy, and that is something that Standard has more of at present than it has in quite a while. While it's true that Gabriel Nassif's Five Color list from Kyoto played a slew of one-ofs, generally most decks in the current format are sticking as close to a streamlined four copies of each card. Cards like Esper Charm, Mulldrifter, Bitterblossom (this one is especially nasty, as it is more likely to sit in a player's hand due to its nature), Cryptic Command, Ajani Vengeant, and Figure of Destiny tend to be consistent four-ofs in their respective decks, and that means that Thought Hemorrhage can easily sneak in through a counterwall and cause some real damage. It is cards like this one that set me at peace, for it means that Wizards of the Coast knows what's good and bad about the current format and is taking strides to ensure that nothing gets too powerful. *** Before I talk about the next card, I'd like to present a deck for Alara Block Constructed:
The newcomer in this list is Jund Hackblade (you can click here to see the card), a card I'm pretty excited about. Hellspark Elemental is similar in that it has three power and haste, but Jund Hackblade sticks around to keep the beats coming. You don't have a one-drop to play with him which is a little disappointing, but the fact that he's an insane turn-three play is enough to make him worth trying out. My main issue with him is that he is pretty optimal on the third turn (since he can swing with haste), and you've already got eight other creatures on that turn. On the other hand, I've found that more often than not I'm stuck with my third land drop being a Savage Lands or Crumbling Necropolis, in which case Jund Hackblade fits perfectly into the deck. No matter how you slice it, he's a great addition to an already strong deck. The beauty of Blightning in Block is that it's incredibly cheap. For under twenty tix on Magic Online, you can build the entire deck and jump into an event. In addition to it being the clear budget deck of the format, it also is surprisingly strong. It has a hard time with Five Color and Naya Aggro, but a a good player with the right sideboard can take on most of the meta without too much trouble. The weaknesses of Blightning are actually more or less addressed with Alara Reborn, and that's good news for the budget players. Rest in peace, Block Constructed. Blightning's biggest problems in the format is finding a way to deal with Battlegrace Angel, Broodmate Dragon, and sometimes even Cruel Ultimatum. Terminate joins Exectioner's Capsule as a solution to the creatures that threaten the deck, but it's Thought Hemorrhage that really has me excited. The ability to wipe your opponent's deck clean of whatever it is that bothers you is huge, especially in a Block format where most decks don't diversify their threats much (because the number of strong cards is more limited than in Standard, etc). Naming Broodmate Dragon, Battlegrace Angel, Martial Coup, or Cruel Ultimatum against the control decks can really give you an edge and potentially even just steal games. It's also incredibly strong against the turn four Ranger of Eos, since it rips the two Wild Nacatls from his hand, hits him for six or more, and ensures that he won't be playing any more undercosted 3/3 beaters. It also gives Blightning another outlet for dealing with Planeswalkers, which is obviously more than welcomed. Imagine playing Thought Hemorrhage naming, say, Battlegrace Angel, and removing his shot at winning while also redirecting three to six damage to his Ajani Vengeant. Spicy. Grixis Grimblade, the other red and black creature in the "Blade" cycle, gets deathtouch rather than haste when you control a multi-colored permanent. When I was going over the cards spoiled in Blightning colors, this guy was one of the ones I had going into the deck. The more I thought about it, though, the more I realized that he's just not that good compared to his hasted cousin. Deathtouch is a relevant ability, sure, but it doesn't trump haste in an aggressive deck - especially when that aggressive deck's only shot at winning comes from preventing the late game from ever hitting. That being said, I still like this guy. He's pretty efficient (being that he's a 3/2 for two mana, after all), but I think his ability is far less powerful than a few of the others in the cycle. What it comes down to, though, is the fact that he doesn't do anything better than what's already in the deck, so he doesn't make the cut. Regardless of the format, it's good. The maindeck still probably needs a bit of work seeing as Jund Hackblade isn't a 100% auto-include, but he's been strong so far and is even more amazing in theory. The other card that is worth talking about is Bituminous Blast, a card that might be able to really shine in this deck. The fact that it offs a Woolly Thoctar or Battlegrace Angel and also churns through your deck for a burn spell or a hasted beater is just amazing, regardless of its high manacost. I think it definitely has a place in the deck, though I don't know in what numbers or if it's even the kind of card we want in the maindeck. Every deck in Block has creatures, certainly, but some have so few that playing too many maindeck would be less than stellar. I could see two copies in the maindeck, or as many as three in the sideboard. I didn't get a ton of time to test with it myself, so the jury is mostly out on that one. In theory, however, it seems like a strong card for Block, in both Blightning and Five Color. In any case, I know I personally can't wait to blaze through more Block queues on Magic Online with Blightning, and that's saying a lot coming from me. If you're on the edge about starting a Constructed career on Magic Online due to the price or what have you, I think this deck is a fine place to start. *** Considering that Block is only a relevant format for those playing online or qualified for Honolulu, I suppose switching gears a bit and talking about Standard is a good idea. Do the same cards I just talked about give the Standard version of Blightning much help? The answer is, well, yes and no. Here's the list:
To start things off, let me just say that Anathemancer is the stoneblade. We're talking about a pseudo Price of Progress on legs, and that is just incredible in the current format. On average, this guy will deal a full three damage if you drop him on the third turn against most of the decks in the format, and that's pretty sick since he's also a Gray Ogre in addition to his ability. The nature of the card means that he'll likely want to be a turn four or five play rather than a turn three play, but I wouldn't be afraid to run him out early, either. If he bites it, then he's dealt two damage or more from his ability alone and possibly more from combat damage (or maybe took a creature with him). His unearth cost is rather high, but in the later, crucial turns it will make all the difference when he is unearthed (which can't be dealt with save Pithing Needle) to get in those last few points of damage against the control decks. He doesn't make a strong fit for the Block version because most of those decks play upwards of thirteen basics, and so he'll likely hit for less than three damage most of the time. If you're spending three mana with the Block deck, you want a tad more mileage from the card than this guy can give in that format. There has been talk that this card could make Blightning tier one in Standard, but I think that may be going a bit too far. The deck certainly has gotten much better, but I don't think that Anathemancer is the card to break the proverbial camel's back. Terminate in the sideboard can either assist Terror as a removal spell or replace it, depending in the match-up. Against decks that aren't sporting white, Terminate is almost always going to be a better Terror, and so it's a fine card to have in the sideboard. Match-ups like Kithkin, however, will have Burrenton Forge-Tender against you, which means that you'll just want Terminate in addition to Terror, and that's totally fine as well. Thought Hemorrhage is almost as strong in the Standard version's sideboard as the Block version's, since it rips important cards out of opposing decks and sneaks in some damage. For a card that seems to, well, unaggressive, Thought Hemorrhage's Blood Oath ability actually makes it fit pretty well into even the faster Standard iteration of Blightning, and that again is good news for red/black players. The problem match-ups for Blightning remain to be decks like RW Lark, and Alara Reborn only offers Thought Hemorrhage (name Reveillark, Balefire Liege, etc) as a means to change that (and even then, how good is it at doing that?). Or, well, at least I thought. Instead of playing a four-mana sorcery that doesn't affect the board against them (though that particular sorcery obviously has strong uses in other match-ups), you could play Slave of Bolas, a Word of Seizing that not only gets in beats with your opponent's guy, but also can make his game-breaking Reveillark a tide-turning blowout in your favor. You take their Reveillark, beat them with it, and then get back two Anathemancers for the win. That's worth it in my book, folks. Taking into consideration the contents of this article, I'd say that things are looking up for Blightning. *** Well, that does it for this week. With the Prerelease for Alara Reborn being this weekend, it's no surprise that I'll have my hands full talking about all the new cards in the coming weeks. Next week, however, I have a new deck I want to talk about, and the idea of writing about it has me a little excited. It's not what you'd expect from me, I assure you, but I promise it'll be something awesome. If nothing else, I can guarantee that it will put a smile on your face! Until next time, Chris "Shinjutsei" Jobin By Chris Jobin on April 24th, 2009 · Filed in Thirst for Knowledge, Block Constructed, Standard (Type 2) · 24 Comments |
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