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Main » Articles » Qualifying as Excellent

Qualifying as Excellent

Mike Likes
Posted on July 25, 2019
 Reddit

Hello, everyone! Core Set 2020 has helped shake up Standard and there are a ton of playable decks that are both fun to play and competitive. This week I have for you a selection of these decks that come from a recent Standard MCQ (Mythic Championship Qualifier) on Magic Online (MTGO). While these decks may not have won the top place in the tournament, they still performed well and if they had been a bit luckier, any of them could have won this tournament.

Simic Flash

The first deck I have for you this week wants to play everything on its opponent's turn. It was piloted by a user named Zonast and took 10th place. Let's take a look at the deck:

Simic Flash | Core Set 2020 Standard | Zonast, MTGO

Nightpack Ambusher
If you're looking for a deck that will keep your opponent guessing your next move, this is the deck for you. Shifting Ceratops is the only card that you're forced to play on your turn, since every other spell in the deck is either a creature with flash or an instant spell. Of those instant spells, eight of them can counter your opponent's spells, which can cause an opponent to freeze up and cast fewer spells, because of their fear that you'll counter what they play. Use that to your advantage. Counter the cards that you feel you would have trouble dealing with and let some cheap cards resolve. Many times players will play a small spell on their turn to see if it will be countered, and if it isn't, they'll then play the bigger threat they want on the battlefield. Don't be afraid to let a small threat through so you'll have that counterspell for their bigger threat.

Since so many of your creatures have flash, you'll be able to mess with your opponent's ability to attack effectively as well. Once your opponent declares their attackers, you can then cast any of your creatures with flash and use them as blockers. That, in turn, can make your opponent less willing to attack you when you have no creatures in play. They might not want to attack with any creature they don't feel is expendable, since you could flash in some blockers and kill their creature. If your opponent does attack and plays a combat trick, there's no better feeling than flashing in Frilled Mystic to block their attacking creature and counter their combat trick in one fell swoop.

Orzhov Vampires

The next deck I have for you this week did really well in the tournament and was a hair's breadth away from the top spot. Let's take a look at the 3rd place deck piloted by Ryuumei, Orzhov Vampires:

Orzhov Vampires | Core Set 2020 Standard | Ryuumei, MTGO

Sorin, Imperious Bloodlord
Sorin, Imperious Bloodlord brought new life to the Vampire tribe, and he works wonderfully in this deck surrounded by other Vampires. His top +1 loyalty ability allows you to gain extra life each turn, makes a creature you control difficult to block effectively, and increases the threat-level of that creature by giving it a +1/+1 counter. His second +1 loyalty ability gives this deck some much needed reach, allowing you to sacrifice any creature you control in order to deal 3 damage to any target and allowing you to gain 3 points of life. This is best used to defend yourself against flying creatures, or to deal the last few points of damage needed to finish your opponent. His -3 loyalty ability allows you to put any Vampire from your hand into play, no matter their cost. This is especially powerful when you can play a huge threat such as Champion of Dusk or Vona, Butcher of Magan.

A great way to finish off your opponent with this deck is by attacking while you have Sanctum Seeker on the battlefield. This allows you to deal a point of damage for each attacking creature you have, regardless of whether they are blocked or not. It also gains you a point of life for each attacking creature as well, making it more difficult for your opponent to kill you when they have the opportunity to attack back. I find it especially satisfying to slowly whittle my opponent's life total down far enough that I simply need to attack while having Sanctum Seeker on the battlefield in order to defeat them, whether or not any of my creatures are actually able to deal any additional damage.

Mardu Wings

The final deck I have for you combines Angels, Demons, and Dragons to create a delightful concoction I call Mardu Wings. It was piloted by Heroesdownfall and came in 12th place. Let's take a look at it:

Mardu Wings | Core Set 2020 Standard | Heroesdownfall, MTGO

Kaalia, Zenith Seeker
Death from above is what this deck is all about. It's all centered around Kaalia, Zenith Seeker's ability to find an Angel, a Demon, and/or a Dragon card from the top six cards of your library when she enters the battlefield. While you do need to reveal the cards you'll be putting into your hand, you'll also be showing your opponent just what's in store for them on the upcoming turns. This deck can strike fear in the heart of its opponent by doing this, which can cause an opponent to shift their strategy since they know what's coming. Use that to your advantage by holding onto the threat if you think they're ready for it or put it into play as soon as possible if you think they aren't.

At its heart, this is an Angel deck and has a lot of Angel synergy. Lyra Dawnbringer will pump up most of your creatures as well as give them lifelink. Bishop of Wings will also gain you additional life whenever a new Angel comes into play for you. It also provides you a Spirit whenever your opponent manages to destroy an Angel you control. With all of the lifegain this deck has to offer, Resplendent Angel has the potential to create a whole host of Angel tokens as the game progresses. I think this deck looks like a lot of fun to play and I'm looking forward to trying it out.

Wrapping Up

At the latest MCQ, Bant Scapeshift may have won, but it wasn't the only interesting deck at this tournament. The three decks I showed you this week also did well and I look forward to seeing the upgrades that are made to them for future tournaments.

What do you think of these decks? Do you have any suggestions for improvements? Let me know by leaving a comment below or you can reply to me directly on Twitter (@mikelikesmtg), or email me directly at mikelikesmtg@gmail.com. Also, feel free to share this article with your friends anywhere on social media. And be sure to join me here again next week as I continue my search for innovative decks in Standard. I'll see you then!

- Mike Likes

TAGS articles, standard, constructed, decklists, mike likes, core set 2020, m20 standard, 07252019

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