Standard is looking to its first rotation in two years, and I am excited at the deck-building possibilities this presents. For anyone new to the game, rotation is sometimes bittersweet, as we lose cards we love, many of them falling to the back of our bulk bin never to be played with again. Many of us are glad to see some of these cards rotate (*cough* Sheoldred the Apocalypse *cough*).

But, it can also be a time of renewal, when cards that we believed in finally gain enough traction to see play. At rotation, it is always a good idea to look through some of the cards that were being held back because of certain strategies or cards that will no longer be in the format. These are some of the cards I look forward to trying out after rotation.

10. Fomori Vault

Between the equipment theme of Final Fantasy, the new Lander tokens, and the Spacecraft theme of Edge of Eternities, there will be a ton of artifacts floating around the Standard format once rotation hits. Fomori Vault is a fantastic, low-cost card that capitalizes on the number of artifacts you control to turn your bad draws into stronger cards in the late game. This is already seeing play in some of the Simulacrum Synthesizer decks, but it is such a simple investment that it might need to be considered for some of the new decks we see in the new format.

9. Helga, Skittish Seer

Between the Warp ability, and the Azorious focus on lifegain in the last few sets, I want to take a strong look at Helga. She's the perfect example of a card that could break out after being held down by a card that's rotating as she failed the Cut Down test. With Cut Down rotating, and her 3 toughness dodging the base level of Torch the Tower, she might be resilient enough to see play. And, she plays very well with Warp, as Warping in something with mana value 4 or greater will give her the counter, allowing her to make more mana to cast the card from exile on subsequent turns. Her mana cost isn't great, since we're only getting Breeding Pool in EoE, but the enemy fast lands are still around. Similarly, we may need to look at Kellan, the Kid again, to pair with Warp.

8. Virtue of Strength

Virtue saw some play with the Aftermath Analyst decks, and it could again thanks to Lander tokens. If we're flooding the board with basic lands, Virtue is a great way to top out with an explosion of mana to end the game. Yes, I'm already brewing a deck around Lander tokens, Virtue of Strength, and Choco-Comet.

7. Astrologian's Planisphere

This is already seeing play in the Izzet Prowess decks, and is showing itself to be the best replacement for Cori-Steel Cutter that the format has to offer. I was skeptical about his card at first, but after playing against it a handful of times, the card performs very well. It could be a player post-rotation when the card pool is smaller and decks like Izzet Prowess, which doesn't lose much, become more refined.

6. Rottenmouth Viper

At this point, it's no secret that the design team wants a sacrifice deck to be playable in Standard. Sephiroth, Fabled SOLDIER // Sephiroth, One-Winged Angel is one of the more popular cards from Final Fantasy, and with Umbral Collar Zealot being spoiled, and the Void ability capitalizing off of non-lands leaving the battlefield, we might need to look deeper at ways to sacrifice permanents. Rottenmough Viper has flirted with the format a time or two since it was printed, and it could be a great top end card for sacrifice decks.

5. Duelist of the Mind

There was a lot of interest in this when it was first printed, but it has completely dropped off the radar. Most of the World Champion designed cards are pushed to see play (see Faerie Mastermind for example) so this one sitting on the sidelines seems odd. I think it's another card that will benefit from Cut Down (and Temporary Lockdown) rotating out of the format. I've seen some lists move toward Winternight Stories over Stock Up, and that's something to consider if you're looking at Duelist.

4. Elspeth, Storm Slayer

I'm primarily listing this because the card is too powerful to stay on the sidelines for long. Between the 2/2 robot tokens, and the Lander tokens, EoE is providing additional fodder for the static ability, and Elspeth can still win the game on her own in a turn or two. We may see an Azorious control deck emerge that uses Elspeth and Secluded Starforge to win the long game and grind out opponents.

3. Kona, Rescue Beastie

The Station ability should give new life to all of the cards with Survival from Duskmourn: House of Horror. The Seriema works especially well with Kona, finding it on turn three and activating it on turn four. There could be a deck here (maybe pairing in something like Phoenix Down too...). Or, maybe you just run Kona with the Planet lands, like Evendo, Waking Haven? Regardless, Kona and cards like Defiant Survivor, Reluctant Role Model, and Rip Spawn Hunter will need to be explored.

2. Ketramose, the New Dawn

Whether you're looking to pair this with cards using the Warp ability or you just want to go Abzan with Cosmogoyf, Ketramose looks like it will have a place in the format. The card has shown that its good enough to see play in Modern, and I think post-rotation we'll see it show how powerful it can be in Standard.

1. Fecund Greenshell

This is probably just a pet card of mine at this point, and I fully recognize that. But, the card is a blast to brew around, and always feels like it's only 1-2 cards away from breaking out. Standard has slowed down since the ban list announcement, and it feels like 4 and 5 mana cards are being unlocked. Greenshell can capitalize off of Lander tokens, getting you closer to the 10 land threshold to boost your team, and there are so many cards being printed right now with toughness greater than their power that the deck could have multiple configurations. In EoE alone, I'm excited to try this with Genemorph Imago, Seedship Broodtender, Biotech Specialist, Tannuk, Memorial Ensign and especially Icetill Explorer.

You can find more of my Magic musings on Twitter/X @travishall456 and on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/anakinsdad.bsky.social