The Top 8

• Esper Midrange 2
• Domain Ramp 2
• Esper Legends 1
• Bant Control 1
• Golgari Midrange 1
• Azorius Soldiers 1

In sum, Esper variants were the most popular color combination at the Las Vegas World Championships. They were also the most successful decks in the Top 8 (and I guess that means in the tournament). Three Esper decks made the Top 8 cutoff, with two of those three facing off in the Finals.

Despite having a goodly number of cards in common, there are meaningful differences between not just Esper Legends and Esper Midrange; but between the two Esper Midrange decks! Let's check them out...

First up, the World Champion's deck. Jean-Emmanuel Depraz called back to one of the format's classic performers.

Esper Legends | Standard | Jean-Emmanuel Depraz

• Spells (33)
• 4 Skrelv, Defector Mite
• 4 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
• 4 Dennick, Pious Apprentice
• 2 Lord Skitter, Sewer King
• 2 Rona, Herald of Invasion
• 4 Raffine, Scheming Seer
• 4 Sheoldred, the Apocalypse
• 3 Faerie Mastermind
• 2 Ertai Resurrected
• 1 Make Disappear
• 3 Go for the Throat

• Lands (27)
• 3 Otawara, Soaring City
• 2 Takenuma, Abandoned Mire
• 4 Plaza of Heroes
• 4 Darkslick Shores
• 4 Seachrome Coast
• 2 Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire
• 4 Caves of Koilos
• 1 Swamp
• 2 Shipwreck Marsh
• 1 Shattered Sanctum

• Sideboard (15)
• 4 Cut Down
• 2 Disdainful Stroke
• 2 Ao, the Dawn Sky
• 1 Negate
• 1 Surge of Salvation
• 4 Wedding Announcement
• 1 Blot Out

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"Duress."

Duress is simply not very good against Jean-Emmanuel's Esper Legends main deck. There are only four non-creature spells in the entire main deck; meaning that Duress is simply likely to miss. If you're looking for a Standard deck to try Jean-Emmanuel's winning list might be a good initial choice.

All the Top 8 decks are good! But Esper Legends gets a few extra percentage points by blanking Duress (or for some decks, Negate).

There are quite a few powerful Legendary creatures in this deck; here are three that help give it its identity in the format:

1. Thalia, Guardian of Thraben. One of the main reasons Esper Legends plays so few non-creature spells is because its best opener usually includes Thalia, Who Ruins Everything. This card can punish mana poor draws (at least if you intend to cast some non-creature spells), and offers a surprising amount of defense, thanks to First Strike. A lot of Esper Legends's success comes from Thalia coming down early and preventing the opponent from establishing their game plan.
2. Sheoldred, the Apocalypse. One of the jokes around Standard is that Sheoldred is good; maybe you should play four. Well... The Pro Tour Champion executed on the rare deck that played all four copies! Mono-Red was one of the most popular non-Esper decks of the World Championships, and there is just about no one Mono-Red would want to see less than Sheoldred.
3. Lord Skitter, Sewer King. A new Legendary Creature that is part Gnarled Mass and part Verdant Force, Lord Skitter is one of the most important new additions for Esper Legends from Wilds of Eldraine. A good option on "rate" Lord Skitter can also chomp on the other guy's graveyard without having to devote a whole different slot.

There is quite a bit of crossover between Esper Legends and Esper Midrange in terms of cards. In fact, Kosaka was the one kind of Legends-screwed at times, stuck with redundant copies of some of his Legendary Creatures that he could not deploy, and unable to make headway.

But!

The advantage of this strategy is (not surprisingly) in its non-Legendary Creature spells.

Virtue of Loyalty is a standout from Wilds of Eldraine.

Virtue of Persistence is probably the best overall new card; but Virtue of Loyalty does great work here... Especially alongside longtime format superstar Wedding Announcement.

Virtue of Loyalty "starts out" as a vanilla Grizzly Bears; only that Grizzly Bears has flash and vigilance. Not bad! Sometimes you can even catch an opposing Skrelv if the opponent isn't (forgive me) vigilant with the creature's wellbeing.

Esper Midrange does a great job of gumming up the battlefield with bodies; so when you actually deploy the enchantment half of this card, it can really get out of hand for the opponent, especially in combination with Lord Skitter, Sewer King. Rats!

A Deck Choice for a Hall of Famer

Domain Ramp | Standard | Reid Duke

• Spells (35)
• 4 Topiary Stomper
• 4 Archangel of Wrath
• 4 Leyline Binding
• 4 Herd Migration
• 3 Atraxa, Grand Unifier
• 4 Sunfall
• 4 Invasion of Zendikar
• 2 Up the Beanstalk
• 2 Courier's Briefcase
• 3 Virtue of Persistence
• 1 Go for the Throat

• Lands (25)
• 4 Forest
• 2 Plains
• 1 Island
• 3 Swamp
• 1 Boseiju, Who Endures
• 4 Jetmir's Garden
• 4 Spara's Headquarters
• 4 Ziatora's Proving Ground
• 2 Mirrex

• Sideboard (15)
• 2 Duress
• 3 Disdainful Stroke
• 1 Negate
• 1 Destroy Evil
• 1 Elspeth's Smite
• 2 Knockout Blow
• 1 Obstinate Baloth
• 1 Chrome Host Seedshark
• 1 Up the Beanstalk
• 2 Anoint with Affliction

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Domain Ramp is "still kicking" in Standard... and still kicking butt in the hands of multiple Hall of Fame players in the event Top 8!

Reid Duke's version has a number of cards you should watch out for:

1. Up the Beanstalk. One of the standout cards that really makes this format go, Up the Beanstalk is perfect in Domain Ramp. Why? Because so many cards are expensive! Sometimes you spend all your mana on a big threat -- even if it is a naturally card advantageous one like a Herd Migration -- but then you're "out" when the opponent is able to answer it. Up the Beanstalk can keep the expensive cards coming again and again.
2. Obstinate Baloth. Only a one-of in the sideboard, Obstinate Baloth has particular context in a format with so many performing black decks. You might see this as an anti-Red Deck card (and you'd be right) but don't forget it is also Liliana of the Veil's worst nightmare.
3. Anoint with Affliction. This card might seem an odd choice for a deck that can by definition kill creatures any which way it likes. How often is Reid's opponent even going to be Corrupted? The reason for this unusual card choice is to specifically deal with Mosswood Dreadknight, the relentless card advantage machine that single-handedly makes Golgari Midrange.

The big incentive to Domain Ramp is its climb to seven mana.

One way to do it is this:

? Third-turn Topiary Stomper

? Fourth-turn Invasion of Zendikar

With a land drop, your Topiary Stomper is even online to attack, three turns ahead of schedule!

But Hall of Famer Willy Edel went further than even Reid did. He played four copies of Courier's Briefcase!

The Briefcase lets you curve into third turn Invasion of Zendikar!

It's too bad Reid's was the version with Anoint with Affliction; because Edel can actually get the opponent hella Corrupted with one of his specialized seven drops!

There Are Giants in the Sky

Bant Control | Standard | Greg Orange

• Spells (33)
• 4 Lay Down Arms
• 4 The Wandering Emperor
• 4 Leyline Binding
• 1 Memory Deluge
• 2 Make Disappear
• 4 Up the Beanstalk
• 1 Negate
• 3 Sunfall
• 3 Syncopate
• 2 March of Otherworldly Light
• 3 Horned Loch-Whale
• 1 Brokers Charm
• 1 Dissipate

• Lands (27)
• 1 Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire
• 2 Jetmir's Garden
• 1 Otawara, Soaring City
• 6 Plains
• 1 Island
• 4 Spara's Headquarters
• 3 Raffine's Tower
• 4 Yavimaya Coast
• 3 Dreamroot Cascade
• 1 Boseiju, Who Endures
• 1 Mirrex

• Sideboard (15)
• 1 The Eternal Wanderer
• 1 Sunset Revelry
• 1 Elspeth's Smite
• 2 Knockout Blow
• 1 Hullbreaker Horror
• 2 Negate
• 3 Chrome Host Seedshark
• 2 Disdainful Stroke
• 1 Memory Deluge
• 1 Destroy Evil

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Greg Orange added green to his signature blue and white... And bent all the Blue and White cards around that addition!

In this deck, Up the Beanstalk is the card advantage engine. If you play it early (say turn two) it's just kind of a terrible Impulse. That's okay; UW control decks have been fine playing Impulses for as long as there have been Impulses.

If you think it sits there doing nothing for five turns, you might want to check out the casting cost on Leyline Binding...

That card can be played at a steep discount in Orange's deck, due to Jetmir's Garden, Spara's Headquarters, and Raffine's Tower. However, Leyline Binding counts as a six-mana spell for Chrome Host Seedshark and Up the Beanstalk. The hits don't stop there.

X-spells like Syncopate and March of Otherworldly Light can be made to cost extra, specifically to trigger Up the Beanstalk here.

Multiple copies of Up the Beanstalk -- which Orange would inevitably draw into due to the glacial pace of his strategy -- all work together here. And you thought Sunfall was already card advantageous...

Not Your Father's White Weenie

Azorius Soldiers | Standard | Simon Nielsen

• Spells (36)
• 2 Yotian Frontliner
• 4 Resolute Reinforcements
• 4 Make Disappear
• 4 Zephyr Sentinel
• 3 Harbin, Vanguard Aviator
• 4 Wedding Announcement
• 1 Werefox Bodyguard
• 4 Knight-Errant of Eos
• 2 Regal Bunnicorn
• 4 Lunarch Veteran
• 4 Recruitment Officer

• Lands (24)
• 2 Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire
• 2 Otawara, Soaring City
• 4 Adarkar Wastes
• 1 Deserted Beach
• 4 Fortified Beachhead
• 4 Plains
• 2 Mirrex
• 4 Seachrome Coast
• 1 Secluded Courtyard

• Sideboard (15)
• 2 Elspeth's Smite
• 2 Destroy Evil
• 3 Protect the Negotiators
• 3 Tocasia's Welcome
• 2 The Wandering Emperor
• 2 Lantern Flare
• 1 Regal Bunnicorn

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While this deck looks like "Azorius Soldiers" at first glance, it plays more like a Lorwyn-era Faeries deck. You'll notice that the Player of the Year eschewed the typical go-wide buff incentives to run a tricky and elegant game around flash creatures.

Zephyr Sentinel is a Counterspell that can punch you in the face.

Between Knight-Errant of Eos and Recruitment Officer, Nielsen can keep pace with almost any strategy, just on cardboard.

But the secret killer? Is the cutest:

This card can change in size mid-combat thanks to Resolute Reinforcements, the aforementioned Zephyr Sentinel, and miraculous one-of Werefox Bodyguard. Don't be surprised when the Bunny beats up your monster! That's card advantage, too!

Can you imagine ever getting out of this trap?

If you approach playing the new look Azorius Soldiers deck, well, like a random incumbent Soldiers deck... You are likely to find yourself unhappy; not just beaten but buried under a mountain of materiel.

Slow and Steady

Golgari Midrange | Standard | Anthony Lee

• Spells (34)
• 2 Cut Down
• 2 Duress
• 3 Go for the Throat
• 3 Liliana of the Veil
• 3 Sheoldred, the Apocalypse
• 1 Tear Asunder
• 3 Glissa Sunslayer
• 1 Nissa, Ascended Animist
• 2 Virtue of Persistence
• 3 Blossoming Tortoise
• 4 Mosswood Dreadknight
• 2 Graveyard Trespasser
• 1 Sentinel of Lost Lore
• 1 Gix's Command
• 1 Misery's Shadow
• 1 Tenacious Underdog
• 1 Bramble Familiar

• Lands (26)
• 4 Llanowar Wastes
• 4 Deathcap Glade
• 1 Boseiju, Who Endures
• 1 Takenuma, Abandoned Mire
• 4 Restless Cottage
• 2 Mishra's Foundry
• 6 Swamp
• 4 Forest

• Sideboard (15)
• 2 Cut Down
• 2 Duress
• 2 Path of Peril
• 1 Obstinate Baloth
• 1 Tear Asunder
• 1 Go for the Throat
• 1 Gix's Command
• 1 Ashiok, Wicked Manipulator
• 2 Phyrexian Arena
• 1 Rankle's Prank
• 1 Nissa, Ascended Animist

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It's amazing how many breakout cards can be found in a single deck -- especially when all five colors were represented in the Top 8, and the Player of the Year decided to play White Weenie like Blue Aggro-Control! But here we are.

Blossoming Tortoise, when it's on, is just awesome. Card advantage and mana acceleration in one; that's not even the whole story. Its ability to make Restless Cottage -- already one of the most pushed creature lands in recent memory -- even better (and bigger) is, itself, a big game.

So much of the card advantage of the current format is tied up in Adventures. This is in part because Virtue of Persistence is the best card in Wilds of Eldraine! Sentinel of Lost Lore yanks the teeth out of opposing Adventure strategies while adding a little oomph to Lee's own makes this card backbreaking when it comes up. Did I mention that, as a 3/4 for three it's also above rate? Sentinel of Lost Lore is actually bigger than Blossoming Tortoise while costing less!

This card is the glue that holds Golgari together. You can play a black control game here... Liliana and Sheoldred, great. Dominate a Red Deck with Graveyard Trespasser (and I guess Sheoldred). Great! Grind out a control opponent with Tenacious Underdog and probably Sheoldred (have you read Sheoldred?)

But why do it in Golgari instead of Mono-Black or some other color combination? It's really the truly relentless impact of Mosswood Dreadknight! I mean try to get rid of it! You have to play specialized removal or the 3/2 is going to be trampling over your chump blockers until one of you is dead. That this creature is attached to a card advantageous Adventure is just icing on the cake.

Golgari Midrange is probably the most flexible deck in Standard. You can play a pretty aggressive game; or you can (forgive me) turtle up and hide behind a wall of Planeswalkers. You can kill a bunch of creatures, empty the enemy's hand, and have scads of ways to gain life (some of the spectacular).

Allegedly you are a dog to over-the-top strategies like Domain Ramp... But your flexibility and undeniable card power give you a puncher's chance in even the worst matchups.

If you were looking for a varied, powerful, and genuinely new Standard? I think the nice people in Renton, WA may have just given us one at the World Championships.

LOVE

MIKE