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This Week in Standard: Friday, January 17th

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With Spotlight Series Atlanta in the books we've seen some new changes to the ever-evolving Standard metagame. While a unique version of Gruul Prowess clinched the trophy in the first ever Spotlight Series event, Esper Pixie and Dimir Midrange have been performing well on MTGO as of late.

Here are a few winning decklists from this past week:


Esper Pixie is still holding strong after its debut in Standard only a few weeks ago. While the core of this deck hasn't changed much, this list has a bit more flex slots. I like the versatility of Mockingbird, giving you more copies of Nurturing Pixie in your deck. One card I've been skeptical on in recent lists is the one-of Tithing Blade. I think it works as essentially a fifth Nowhere to Run, but my worry is with how it stacks against the metagame. Tithing Blade is a card that can shine depending on the meta, but I'd be wary of including it in my list if there's more Faebloom Tricks, Pawpatch Recruits, and Sandstorm Salvagers in the meta. Nevertheless, the ability to pick Blade up over and over is what makes it so good here.

This sideboard also seems pretty geared toward graveyard-centric strategies, like Azorius Omniscience and Azorius Oculus, but more on that later! I also like the recent inclusion of The Witch's Vanity against Red decks, giving you a removal and some lifegain in a deck that has a pretty painful mana base.


Deep-Cavern Bat has been showing up a bit more in decklists recently, and I like that this decklist is a little more flexible in its numbers, including one-of's like Gix, Yawgmoth Praetor, Sheoldred, the Apocalypse, and Mockingbird. I think it's hard to find the right list for Dimir Midrange, with cards like Preacher of the Schism and Faebloom Trick having their value wax and wane based on the week. With Deep-Cavern Bat making a potential resurgence, perhaps that's even more of a reason to go back to some of the Faebloom Trick/Spell Stutter builds. I respect the two copies in this deck's sideboard, as well as Ghost Vacuums for both the Omniscience decks and Abhorrent Oculus decks.

Speaking of Omniscience...

Fellow CSI content creator, Ali Eldrazi blazed his way to Mythic on MTG Arena with an Azorius combo deck that's been rising in popularity over the last few weeks. For those of you who haven't played the deck yet, the goal is to put Omniscience in your graveyard via self-mill or discarding it to cards like Chart a Course, then using Abuelo's Awakening to reanimate it into play as early as turn four. Then, using Invasion of Arcavios // Invocation of the Founders you can search your sideboard for Beseech the Mirror, use it to find another Invasion of Arcavios to grab This Town Ain't Big Enough, and then start bouncing back your Invasions to eventually cast Heroic Reinforcements from your sideboard over and over again.

I'm also skeptical of playing combo decks like this, as I feel a lot has to go right most games. Standard also just has a lot of incredibly fast decks and draws that can put you dead by turn three or four. However, I really like some of the resilience this deck has in the current format. Ephara's Dispersal is a perfect way to stave off Aggro decks while in turn setting up your own combo. You also are totally fine against Hopeless Nightmare, and have enough sideboard interaction for Rest in Peace. I think I'd just be wary of playing this deck if more Deep-Cavern Bats or Duresses start to show up.

Aetherdrift and new card spoilers are fast approaching, with previews starting next week. While not much is known about the set, we do know that it'll contain a wide variety of Vehicle cards, one which was spoiled this past week:

Lifecraft Engine

While I'm not sure if this slots into a specific deck in Standard at the moment, it's an interesting typal card to keep on your radar. Mice seem like the strongest creature type in Standard at the moment, but its 3-drop slot is already taken by Mabel, Heir to Cragflame. Maybe this could see play in a Lizards shell.

That wraps up this week's edition of This Week in Standard! I'll be back next week to talk about any changes in the Standard metagame, as well as promising spoilers from Aetherdrift. While this current Standard format is very fun and diverse, I'm definitely looking to see what new cards Aetherdrift brings next month.

-Roman Fusco

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