Jackie Lee
7/3/2012 10:51:00 AM
Last week, I was excited to receive a message from Marcelino Freeman, whom I'd met a few months ago at GP Mexico City. He told me that he'd been playing RG Aggro since my Top 8 with it at GP Baltimore, even though everyone told him that it's bad for the current meta.

Now that Restoration Angel is all the rage, many people don't think RG Aggro is viable. The angel singlehandedly pushes Hellrider off the chart of playables, also making Strangleroot Geist and Huntmaster of the Fells much less exciting. In addition, the popularity of Blade Splicer in Delver, UW Midrange, and Naya Pod has been the nail in the coffin for these RG staples.


Flash back to testing post-Dark Ascension Standard for PT Honolulu: a super-fun time. From Puresteel to Frites, we had more archetypes from which to choose than Baskin-Robbins has ice cream flavors. The best part was that most of these archetypes were similarly competitive, so you could choose the deck you felt most comfortable playing and know that you stood a decent chance.

At this point, we're more set in our ways, sticking to familiar choices. As I discussed in my article on Delver's prevalence, I believe this to be the main reason the aggro-control deck has seen such a high degree of play. If you wanted, you could still play a wide variety of decks. There are certainly enough powerful cards in the format. You don't need to buy into the idea that there is one best deck. That is true in some formats, but this isn't one of them.

"They said to him, 'It can't be done,' but he went right to it.
"He took that thing that couldn't be done...and he tried."
—Bad Street Brawler

This classic game for the Nintendo Entertainment System, whose inter-level quotations were probably the highlight, poignantly describes Marcelino's story.

You see, he made changes to the RG Aggro list after the release of Avacyn Restored, and now he and his teammate get to play together at the World Magic Cup and Pro Tour Seattle. They owe their pair of WMCQ and PTQ wins to this list:

RG Aggro by Marcelino Freeman Main Deck Sideboard 1 Acidic Slime 4 Birds of Paradise 3 Huntmaster of the Fells 4 Llanowar Elves 2 Phyrexian Metamorph 4 Strangleroot Geist 4 Wolfir Avenger 1 Wolfir Silverheart Creatures [23] 3 Bonfire of the Damned 3 Dismember 3 Green Sun's Zenith 3 Pillar of Flame 3 Sword of War and Peace Spells [15] 4 Copperline Gorge 8 Forest 2 Kessig Wolf Run 4 Mountain 4 Rootbound Crag Lands [22] Deck Total [60] 1 Act of Aggression 2 Ancient Grudge 1 Batterskull 1 Bonfire of the Damned 2 Combust 1 Daybreak Ranger 2 Manabarbs 2 Sword of Feast and Famine 1 Wolfir Silverheart 2 Zealous Conscripts Sideboard [15] View a Sample Hand! Solitaire this Deck! Click for full deck stats & notes!

This list is very similar to how I would build RG Aggro for the current Standard format. Dismember deserves to be maindecked again, now that the threats are Restoration Angels and not Titans. I played two in my mono-green list from a few weeks ago, but I think the third Dismember is very bold and smart.

Dismember is kind of like a weaselly salesperson, assuring you that -5/-5 for one is the deal of a lifetime. It doesn't really care if you end up dying to the life loss; it's working on commissions, and let's face it: Dismember has fallen on hard times since the days when every deck ran a playset.

This deck doesn't really need to care that deeply about the life, though. It's the beatdown, and it's got Sword of War and Peace to make sure it stays ahead in the race. Birds of Paradise will sometimes chip in a black mana in exchange for some of the credit. The end result means shooting down an Angel before it can interfere with your plan: attacking every turn with impunity. Every Geist and Wolfir can feel safe in a forest that's protected by creepy, Phyrexian mutilation spells.

Other additions include Wolfir Avenger, whose ability to come down at end of turn presents your opponent with a tough decision about when to Mana Leak. It's another speedy creature in the style of RG that's resilient to Wrath effects outside of Terminus.

High Mid Low

Bonfire of the Damned

$20.55

$14.99

$12.51

Store QTY Price   The Magic Arena 1 $12.51 CardAddiction 2 $12.95 BEMGames 1 $13.20 Phoenix Games Inc 1 $13.33 The Games Arena 1 $13.83 Geeks MTG 2 $13.87 Mike and Beas 1 $13.95 The Gaming Warehouse 1 $13.99 Pastimes 4 $13.99 >> View all Prices for Bonfire of the Damned << Store.TCGplayer.com allows you to buy cards from any of our vendors, all at the same time! Shop, Compare & Save with TCGplayer.com! - [Store FAQ]

Speaking of miracles, this deck contains one of the most disgusting: Bonfire of the Damned. The card's name is a good example of flavor, because your opponent will probably speak of damning something as you wipe out an entire board of Blade Splicer tokens. To tell the truth, I don't enjoy playing with or against this card, but it's too important to not run. Some people enjoy casting Miracles, and that's cool. However, when you've meticulously planned out your next few turns, it can be a little boring to draw a card and go, “Whoops. Plague Winds and Fireblast you, I guess. Hey, great games!”

Finally, all these spells need to have space made from somewhere, so the burn spells, Swords, and Green Sun's Zeniths have all been shaved down to 3 each. I think this is fine. When I ran a playset most recently at GP Salt Lake City, I had a 3-1 split of Sword of War and Peace versus Sword of Feast and Famine. Retaining the three War and Peace is much more important than not having the Feast and Famine, in a field of Esper and Naya. Particularly when Bonfires can potentially deal with problem green and black creatures, I could see relegating the Feast and Famines to the sideboard, or not playing them at all.

While I was at GP Atlanta his weekend, Nathan Anderson was in Seattle, winning the SCG Standard Open with another RG list.

RG Aggro by Nathan Anderson Finished 1st Place at 2012 StarCity Open Standard - Seattle - 6/30 Main Deck Sideboard 1 Acidic Slime 4 Birds of Paradise 1 Daybreak Ranger 4 Huntmaster of the Fells 4 Llanowar Elves 4 Strangleroot Geist 1 Thrun, the Last Troll 3 Wolfir Avenger 2 Wolfir Silverheart Creatures [24] 1 Garruk Relentless Planeswalkers [1] 2 Bonfire of the Damned 2 Galvanic Blast 3 Green Sun's Zenith 2 Pillar of Flame 2 Sword of Feast and Famine 2 Sword of War and Peace Spells [13] 4 Copperline Gorge 10 Forest 2 Kessig Wolf Run 3 Mountain 3 Rootbound Crag Lands [22] Deck Total [60] 2 Ancient Grudge 1 Batterskull 2 Combust 2 Crushing Vines 1 Daybreak Ranger 1 Garruk Relentless 2 Manabarbs 1 Thrun, the Last Troll 3 Zealous Conscripts Sideboard [15] View a Sample Hand! Solitaire this Deck! Click for full deck stats & notes!

I think the 2-2 split of Pillar of Flame and Galvanic Blast is interesting, but I'm not sure it's better than playing only one or the other. I like that Marcelino's list, which plays only Pillar of Flame, offsets the Sorcery speed by playing fewer Huntmaster of the Fells. I think this is a fine choice, as the card has been somewhat disenfranchised by Blade Splicer and Restoration Angel. Additionally, with more Bonfire of the Damned, you might want to skip your four-drop to miracle Bonfire for 3 and attack with the cheaper guys you've played.


This Friday: The M13th

This weekend, it's going to be prerelease time again. Regardless of your feelings on Core Set Limited (I think it's tremendously improved in recent years), M13 has many new cards with which you can perfect your Standard deck for a few months. After that, Scars block will rotate out, and we'll have an entirely different format.

Here are some cards that have struck me as worthy of consideration for RG Aggro, either in the maindeck or sideboard.

High Mid Low

Flinthoof Boar

$2.44

$1.84

$1.09

Store QTY Price   Top Tyr Games 1 $1.09 DrKGames 1 $1.10 gswax 3 $1.15 Flint 1 $1.25 Tweaks Cards 1 $1.35 Stomping Grounds 1 $1.40 The End Zone 4 $1.45 Pack Fresh Magic 2 $1.49 Asgard Games 1 $1.50 >> View all Prices for Flinthoof Boar << Store.TCGplayer.com allows you to buy cards from any of our vendors, all at the same time! Shop, Compare & Save with TCGplayer.com! - [Store FAQ]

A 3/3 Haste creature for 3 could be very relevant, but I'm not sold that the mana can actually support it. When answering the “best card” question for my GP Baltimore Top 8 Profile, I seriously considered writing, “Copperline Gorge.” However, because there were so many UB decks there, I had to admit that Strangleroot Geist was the MVP of the weekend. Now that the deck no longer needs to support RR for Hellrider, the deck only runs a few Mountains. I don't think it's sufficiently better than Wolfir Avenger to warrant more Mountains and less consistency. Until we get Ravnica-style dual-lands, you'll have to get your fire-pig fix from Pokémon.

High Mid Low

Mwonvuli Beast Tracker

$0.70

$0.20

$0.09

Store QTY Price   GameTimeCC 16 $0.09 IDeal808 50 $0.09 TheWarStoreCCG 4 $0.09 The MTG Place 8 $0.10 ChannelFireball 20 $0.10 Pack Fresh Magic 194 $0.10 Geeks MTG 8 $0.10 White Lion Games 4 $0.10 Cloak and Dagger 4 $0.11 >> View all Prices for Mwonvuli Beast Tracker << Store.TCGplayer.com allows you to buy cards from any of our vendors, all at the same time! Shop, Compare & Save with TCGplayer.com! - [Store FAQ]

This is an interesting prospect for a pseudo-Green-Sun's Zenith, but I think it would work much better in Ramp or Pod. In this deck, it gets Acidic Slime, Thrun, and maybe Wurmcoil Engine if you're feeling saucy. As a 2/1 for 3 that doesn't generate true card advantage, I'm not sure about this one, either. I like the idea of playing one Beast Tracker as a Zenith target for one Wurmcoil, but it seems like a stretch.

High Mid Low

Primal Huntbeast

$0.49

$0.10

$0.02

Store QTY Price   The Casual Gamer 2 $0.02 Dark Elf Games 4 $0.02 The Mana Fix 110 $0.02 The MTG Place 16 $0.02 The Mana Fix 24 $0.02 adventuresON 24 $0.03 GameTimeCC 143 $0.03 The End Zone 8 $0.03 Millennium Games 9 $0.03 >> View all Prices for Primal Huntbeast << Store.TCGplayer.com allows you to buy cards from any of our vendors, all at the same time! Shop, Compare & Save with TCGplayer.com! - [Store FAQ]

Despite the flavor text, this animal seems perfectly visible. If it weren't for its small size, this would be an excellent sideboard card against Delver, as a Snag-proof, Image-proof wielder of equipment. As it is, Thrun is still the better pre-sideboard choice.

High Mid Low

Rancor

$3.98

$2.26

$1.78

Store QTY Price   Mythic Realm 2 $1.78 Marvel Magic Cards 1 $1.80 Deck Factory 1 $1.82 IDeal808 20 $1.85 Get There Games 5 $1.89 Tweaks Cards 3 $1.90 The Game Hub 2 $1.92 Miniature Exchange 1 $1.93 Frogtown Hobbies 1 $1.94 >> View all Prices for Rancor << Store.TCGplayer.com allows you to buy cards from any of our vendors, all at the same time! Shop, Compare & Save with TCGplayer.com! - [Store FAQ]

Now we're getting somewhere. Even though the deck is commonly called “RG Aggro” and it's capable of some very explosive starts, it's not exactly a true aggro deck. It has some utility and toolbox aspects that shift it towards a midrange classification. But maybe Rancor is the card to change that, pushing it back to solidly aggro territory. As a repeatable Shock, it's exciting, allowing a Strangleroot Geist to finally Threaten a trade with Restoration Angel. However, the applications with Sword of War and Peace really put it over the top. I really look forward to trying this one out.

High Mid Low

Thragtusk

$19.99

$11.16

$9.50

Store QTY Price   Cloak and Dagger 1 $9.50 Phyrexian Games 4 $9.93 Cape Fear Games 3 $9.97 MTGCore 1 $9.99 TradesForDays 1 $9.99 Murasamune 1 $10.00 A Hidden Fortress 1 $10.00 Multiverse Gaming 1 $10.22 Mythic Realm 1 $10.26 >> View all Prices for Thragtusk << Store.TCGplayer.com allows you to buy cards from any of our vendors, all at the same time! Shop, Compare & Save with TCGplayer.com! - [Store FAQ]

This is a very solid card, but the fact that it's competing for the 5-drop slot makes me wonder if it's really worth it. Wolfir Silverheart is certainly better against Ramp, but Thragtusk might be better than Zealous Conscripts in most situations.

High Mid Low

Yeva, Nature's Herald

$1.98

$0.50

$0.25

Store QTY Price   Epic Gaming 6 $0.25 DTwentyHobbies 8 $0.25 Geeks MTG 3 $0.39 White Lion Games 4 $0.39 Comic Asylum 8 $0.39 Static Age Games 2 $0.40 Stomping Grounds 5 $0.40 Happy Viking Games 15 $0.42 Deck Factory 1 $0.42 >> View all Prices for Yeva, Nature's Herald << Store.TCGplayer.com allows you to buy cards from any of our vendors, all at the same time! Shop, Compare & Save with TCGplayer.com! - [Store FAQ]

I could see playing one as a search target, but see her ability as more cute than powerful. Many creatures in the deck already have Flash or Haste, and Thrun is a more versatile 4/4 for four.

High Mid Low

Flames of the Firebrand

$1.25

$0.31

$0.14

Store QTY Price   Geeks MTG 2 $0.14 Geeks MTG 8 $0.15 GameTimeCC 16 $0.15 The Game Academy 8 $0.15 Pack Fresh Magic 111 $0.19 Millennium Games 1 $0.19 Static Age Games 35 $0.20 OldSchoolGaming 20 $0.20 PortCityGames 12 $0.20 >> View all Prices for Flames of the Firebrand << Store.TCGplayer.com allows you to buy cards from any of our vendors, all at the same time! Shop, Compare & Save with TCGplayer.com! - [Store FAQ]

I'm very excited to play the new Arc Lightning, either in the sideboard or main deck. With the ability to cast this as early as Turn Two, it seems like it will be excellent in this creature-based format.

High Mid Low

Thundermaw Hellkite

$33.00

$18.56

$15.50

Store QTY Price   Dark Light Opticon 3 $15.50 FreestyleDunker 1 $15.99 Blizzard Elemental 1 $15.99 Phoenix Games Inc 1 $16.25 Columbia Game 1 $16.96 Hammer Hall Gaming 3 $16.98 Hammer Hall Gaming 2 $16.98 StaytonsHobbyHut 1 $16.99 BGailey 1 $17.00 >> View all Prices for Thundermaw Hellkite << Store.TCGplayer.com allows you to buy cards from any of our vendors, all at the same time! Shop, Compare & Save with TCGplayer.com! - [Store FAQ]

Like Flames of the Firebrand and Rancor, this is one of the cards that can allow RG Aggro to go over the top. Whether they've stabilized with Angels, Spirits, or Drakes, Thundermaw Hellkite is going to fly over them—at least for the first turn. Again, it's competing with some powerful 5-drops, and it can't be found with Green Sun's Zenith. However, I think it's powerful enough to warrant playing double-red again.

High Mid Low

Cathedral of War

$2.99

$1.49

$0.74

Store QTY Price   Giant Badger Games 1 $0.74 Tweaks Cards 1 $0.90 Brute Force Games 1 $1.02 Multiverse Gaming 1 $1.09 Brute Force Games 28 $1.13 Static Age Games 2 $1.15 Geeks MTG 1 $1.17 Pastimes 10 $1.19 Mythic Realm 1 $1.22 >> View all Prices for Cathedral of War << Store.TCGplayer.com allows you to buy cards from any of our vendors, all at the same time! Shop, Compare & Save with TCGplayer.com! - [Store FAQ]

I could see playing this as a 23rd land. It might not seem that impressive in RG, but the fact that it allows a Wolfir Avenger to trade with a Restoration Angel or kill a first-striking Golem is pretty significant. There are certainly times when you want to attack with a single creature, regardless. Cathedral of War can also turn even a peaceful Birds of Paradise into a tiny threat.


If you attend a prerelease, as I plan to do, I wish you luck! Many of M13's cards seem to be valuable or interesting. It should be an interesting Core Set to play competitively next month at GP Boston.

Love and battle,
Jackie Lee——

@JackieL33 on Twitter
www.twitch.tv/jackiel33