Going into the first weekend of Aether Revolt Standard, there are three styles of decks we knew would be serious contenders: Saheeli Rai combo decks, Torrential Gearhulk decks, and B/G Delirium decks. People knew the likes of Winding Constrictor was powerful, but most speculation was on what the card would do in formats like Commander, not Standard. Surprisingly, the card had a strong debut in Standard, courtesy of Daniel Guajardo:

Green-Black Counters - Aether Revolt Standard | Daniel Guajardo|

• Creatures (23)
• 2 Rishkar, Peema Renegade
• 3 Bristling Hydra
• 3 Glint-Sleeve Siphoner
• 3 Longtusk Cub
• 4 Winding Constrictor
• 4 Verdurous Gearhulk
• 4 Walking Ballista

• Planeswalkers (4)
• 4 Nissa, Voice of Zendikar

• Instants (7)
• 2 Fatal Push
• 2 Grasp of Darkness
• 3 Blossoming Defense

• Sorceries (2)
• 2 Attune with Aether

• Lands (24)
• 5 Swamp
• 6 Forest
• 1 Westvale Abbey
• 4 Aether Hub
• 4 Blooming Marsh
• 4 Hissing Quagmire

• Sideboard (15)
• 1 Lost Legacy
• 1 Ob Nixilis Reignited
• 2 Fatal Push
• 2 Grasp of Darkness
• 2 Heroic Intervention
• 3 Tireless Tracker
• 4 Transgress the Mind

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However, you’ve got plenty of other options for generating extra cards in more attrition-oriented matchups. Firstly, there’s Glint-Sleeve Siphoner which can do a reasonable impression of Dark Confidant in conjunction with Winding Constrictor. However, there’s also Tireless Tracker out of the sideboard which can get out of hand much faster when Winding Constrictor is involved.

Another exciting card for this deck out of Aether Revolt is Walking Ballista. This is a card that lets you absolutely dominate creature mirrors given enough time and mana. When Winding Constrictor is involved, Ballista can single-handedly shut opposing players out of the game or just let you Fireball your opponent out.

If the format shifts more towards sweepers like Fumigate rather than Radiant Flames, this deck may begin to struggle. However, in the meantime, it’s an interesting and highly synergistic deck that can play both aggressive and midrangey gameplans, and I’m excited to see whether it will become more popular in the coming weeks.