Hey folks, it’s your old pal Timmy, Power Gamer here, guest-writing for Leaf today.  So much has happened since I last got a chance to ‘holler at you’.  Zendikar was released along with two follow up blocks (including my all-time favorite set: Rise of the Eldrazi), and the Magic 2011 Core set.  So many drool-worthy cards in 2010, I don’t even know where to start!?  Oh, how about the Titans, a group of 6-CMC Mythics that bring a little of me to every color?  How about that crazy cycle of game-winning legendary Eldrazi!?  Not to mention another Mirrodin set!  Geez, can you have too much of a good thing?  If that was even possible, it would be happening now!  …what’s that?  Oh yeah, I came here to talk about Standard.  Guess I got a little sidetracked, but can you blame me?

On to the topic at hand: the current Standard Constructed environment, something I tend to ignore for the most part.  However, many of my closer friends have been urging me to weigh in on some of the goings on lately.  They insist I would be pleasantly surprised about the cards seeing action, and the style of decks being played.  You know what, for the most part I have been!  Let’s break it down Clint Eastwood style, because that’s how I roll (when I’m not rolling twenties).

The Good:

I alluded earlier to the cycle of Titans in Magic 2011, and my favorite (being fairly partial to green) has actually been seeing quite a bit of playing time during the biggest tournaments.  In fact, Primeval Titan is just about the best thing so-called Standard has going for it.  Not only can you beat face with a 6/6 trampler, you can summon up a couple extra lands every turn.  While beating face!  If there is one thing I like more than having six mana, it’s having eight mana!  Of course Johnny has tried his darn-dest to corrupt this guy, using him with all sorts of combos and tricks.  One of the more popular involves Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle, but I’m not sure why.  Why not grab a second Titan with that spare mana and really start pounding!?  And don’t get me started on Destructive Force, it’s almost as backward as….

The Bad:

…all these control decks that are so popular.  Sure, they have cool spells like Frost Titan and Avenger of Zendikar, but lack the true spirit in which these baddies were intended.  Aside from dropping the occasional bomb on their opponent, the guys just sit around waiting to Mana Leak something awesome or taking forever using Jace 2.0.  Or as I call him, ‘Sitting Around Waiting’, the card.  Taking a look at a recent Top 8 I’m so disappointed, some of these decks only have like seven creatures in the whole thing.  What are we supposed to make of that?  Magic is a game best played with a whole battlefield of deadly threats staring one-another in the face.  Another dubious take on MTG comes in the ever popular form of Red Deck Wins, basically trying to do twenty damage before your opponent has a chance to react.  Not the most enjoyable or creative way to play, seeing as how the biggest creature is Molten-Tail Masticore.  But at least I understand the point, as opposed to…

The Confounding:

…decks that destroy your own creatures and lands, or make you discard your best creature, or work only with one or two specific cards.  They all hinge on the following three cards: Destructive Force, Fauna Shaman, and Pyromancer Ascension.  The first two of them completely baffle me, while the third is just plain annoying.  Sitting across from somebody who just played their third Preordain can get a little tedious.  Not to mention, this deck doesn’t have any creatures at all, at least not in the ‘main-deck’.  Nope, somehow the only cool part of the deck is relegated to the ‘sideboard’ (an institution of competitive MTG of which I’ve never been a fan).  As far as the Shaman goes, first it’s a measly 2/2, second it makes you discard a creature just to get another creature.  Why not just use a deck entirely of creatures you, oh I don’t know, want to cast in the first place!  It makes me think Johnny must have hit his head falling off that high-horse he always rides around.  Last but not least, the destructive force of Destructive Force has its heart in the right place, but I need my lands to play all my Eldrazi!

It might not sound like it, but I’m actually starting to warm to Standard as a format.  There seems to be a pretty cool variety of decks out there, and quite a few of them use gigantic effects to get the job done, and I have to respect that.  The new found popularity of the Titans, among others, hopes to usher in a new era of cards that *gasp* cost more than five mana to cast.  About time dudes, welcome to the fun side of the force.  While I’m not exactly ready to un-sleeve my Molimo, Maro-Sorcerer EDH deck, Standard is becoming a friendlier place for me and other duelists that share my simple tastes.  So, until next time remember: go big or go home and build a cooler deck.

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