I think there could be something with Sigarda's Aid.
I've assembled in paper a deck using it but it's pulled in two directions and both directions are bad against (I'm blanking on the name but the XX gets X counters remove a counter to deal 1 damage). However I think it's good enough to explore probably as two separate ideas.
So first off is a combo. The combo is Sigarda's Aid (I think this is roughly $5), Combat Celebrant (This is probably in the $5 range), and Helm of the Host (I think this is ~$10). This allows turn 3 Celebrant and turn four Helm, with Aid equipping it for free (or both in the same turn for 7 mana), then before combat you get a Combat Celebrant token with haste which you exert. Then you get another combat and before the extra one you get another token. It's potentially a bad splinter twin combo for Pioneer, like Sigarda's Aid isn't 100% necessary, but it skips waiting to equip. I haven't seen others using this combo, but I think it's potentially alright.
Like I mentioned my deck is pulled in another direction as well, the other one uses Sigarda's Aid with Colossus Hammer unblockable 1 drops (I use 4 of the morph on and 4 of the 1/2 each cost 1 blue). As well as Curious Obsession and control elements like Spell Pierce and a couple Chained to the Rocks (which can be tutored with Open the Armory if you have equipment in hand already). Online I play a deck similar to this low to the ground hammer version, but only UW which also runs 4 Mystic Sanctuary and KAladesh commons in Aether Tradewinds (this allows you to bounce back the hammer if they removed disrupted you, then recast for 1) and Disappearing Act which provide just enough tempo to close.
I don't have MTGO open, but off the top of my head my version looks something like:
In the double direction one I have built I cut down on Judge's Familiar, Aether Tradewinds, and Disappearing Act and add the Combat Celebrants, Helm of the Host, the 1WU return a creature to their hand 2/3 they can't play that cardname next turn, and the land base changes and the inclusion of mountains opens up Chained to the Rocks (pretty sure you could include some pacifism effects or the Stuck in the Moon (not sure the exact name but its a 2U aura that makes a creature or planeswalker a wastes essentially).
I would ban the top 3 and then Oko as well. Players hate LD and Thoughtseize on the play turn one ripping out a critical piece is "feel bad" as it gets. Duress and Despise would be there to fill the gap. OuaT smoothes out the strategies for G way too much and is "free" to boot. Copter will warp the meta and eat up SB slots in non tier decks so they can't battle the aggro decks as well.
I am for a heavy hand in this format. Its not "solved" yet but it is getting close already just a month or so into it. Decks are just turning into piles of good stuff, basically a Modern Light. Prices for Tier decks are soaring as well as everyone has to play the same cards to compete. It is what it is but I feel it needs aggressive bannings to keep it fresh.
Top 7 decks as of this time are all $450 USD in paper and up. The usual pay to play.
What is pressing Collected Company out of being a top 50 played card, ditto Aetherworks Marvel and Jeskai Ascendancy? If I'm not mistaken these three were supposed to be "look out for" pillars of three strong decks entering the format, and potential ban targets -- yet none of the three are banned and none are top 50 played cards, despite being a 4 of in a deck featuring them?
My first thought is RB Vampires given how much madness exists in the tribe and there is other support that could work within the framework too. I might be missing something obvious, but here is a quick idea.
Maybe Hazoret's Monument could do something with Falkenrath Gorger but I'm not sure how it would play out. Playing a Vampire, discard a card (madness it and trigger monument again) draw a card repeat for available mana seems maybe worth exploring? I'm not sure where it would fit though.
Edit: Herp derp I thought of one obvious inclusion I forgot when I made a quick list and that is Smuggler's Copter which seems absolutely insane in the deck and is a four of for sure.
I didn't see a thread for this deck, but I've come across it on MTGO, and then later found some lists online after searching for some cards I saw. The deck plays out like a storm deck, with High Tide being the most similar deck I can think of. Here the deck uses Lotus Field and untap effects such as Hidden Strings to produce pretty insane mana.
The first step is getting Lotus Field into play, the first turns you will be playing simic lands and casting Opt, Shimmer of Possibility and Sylvan Scrying to dig towards or tutor your Lotus Field. On turn three you float mana and play Lotus Field, and if you have it in hand counter the sacrifice trigger with Tale's End. Another version of Lotus Field in the deck is Thespian's Stage which you could play turn 3 instead of Field, and then on turn four float two mana play Field, sac simic lands, and use the mana to copy Lotus Field.
You also utilize copy effects such as Ral, Storm Conduit, Doublecast, Expansion // Explosion, cards like Pore Over the Pages become really insane copied and untaping lands that produce 3 mana a piece. The kill condition is either Banefire, or something like Ral's static ability (perhaps with the double Expansion trick from standard).
I've ordered a copy of the first deck since it contained more cards I don't own that aren't already in another deck, but I plan on making room for a Ral and I'd like to test a Thousand-Year Storm.
I've been really excited about this format and have been brewing since it was announced. I really liked the idea of a Rally the Ancestors deck, but didn't like how difficult it was to get one in hand when you are also trying to fill up your graveyard. This led me to Dusk // Dawn which the Aftermath half brings back 2 power or less creatures and can be cast from the grave so Stitcher's Supplier digs you 3 deep towards it, and Satyr Wayfinder digs 4 deep. Those two alone seemed good enough for the mill half so much so that I viewed Gorging Vulture as a dig 4 that can buffer the life total, even when it's a underpowered card in general I felt that in a linear enough deck it can be a road block chump flier and fill it's mill role. Aside from the Satyr and the Vulture, the rest follows (aside from Deathless Knight which has synergy with Lotleth Troll and acts as a 4 power haste creature should that be relevant in the format) the Stitcher's tribe to front an aggro deck attack when the graveyard strategy isn't there.
Some powerful lines include:
T1: Cryptbreaker
T2: Lazotep Reaver, tap the token, the reaver, and the Cryptbreaker draw a card.
T1: Stitcher's Supplier, mill 3
T2: Lotleth Troll, discard Deathless Knight(s)
T3: Gorging Vulture, mill 4, likely gain life and get back the Deathless Knight(s) to pitch to Lotleth Troll again.
T1: Stitcher's Supplier, mill 3
T2: Satyr Wayfinder, find a land put 3 others into the grave
T3: Diregraf Colossus (potentially up to a 8/8, likely something like a 4/4 or 5/5)
T4: Cryptbreaker, make a zombie, Lazotep Reaver, make a zombie, make a zombie army, draw cards make land drops
With a stocked graveyard Dawn becomes pretty sweet, and the first often powers a second and so one with the 12 self milling creatures digging towards the next copy. Although Deathless Knight isn't returned by Dawn, the Wayward Servants see all the creatures entering and trigger life gain and the Gorging Vulture can gain life as well returning them to your hand. Another way to get Deathless Knights back is instant speed discard with Cryptbreaker make a zombie which triggers Wayward Servant which works nice in hands featuring Cryptbreaker, Lotleth Troll, and Wayward Servant.
Embercleave seems like an almost strict upgrade to Fireshrieker in a Boros build. You need 3 creatures attacking and red mana, but other than that it is instant speed and first equip is free.
I just finished brewing and acquiring the cards for this deck idea I've been working towards, but am just now getting ready to shuffle it up and gold fish it. I put a bit of thought into it and watched quite a few standard videos while I've been acquiring cards and other ideas I enjoyed more -- Emry and Witch's Oven for example -- an artifact or creature based engine seems too poor against Oko for me to be excited to take such a fun deck to FNM. So I started gravating towards planeswalker based strategies and enchantment based strategies and felt this was an adequate blend. Whereas previous Golos Fires decks revolved around fetching Field of the Dead, here our single Golos can fetch a less impactful but still awesome assortment of lands. The two off color shocks to utilize his activated ability, a Mystic Sanctuary to rebuy that fetched Casualties of War, Time Wipe or whatever that nearly won you the game the first time you fetch'd and cast it off Fires, a Karn's Bastion to proliferate your Planeswalkers, or a Castle as a mana sink. The Temur mana base should be a bit better than the Golos 5 color ones, but this is just what I have and may not be an actually correct mana base. Flame Sweep however seems like it would be a reasonable board wipe and could be used in conjunction with chump blocking (Fae of Wishes) to deal with a 3 toughness creature. Mini-Simic Food package with Oko + Wicked Wolf + Questing Beast, which this mid-range package seems very powerful at protecting your 3 CMC walkers, to which we play The Royal Scions, Domri, Anarach of Bolas, and Mu Yanling, Sky Dancer as well as Oko. The one drop allows you to play your 3 CMC walker on turn two, and does so in land based acceleration which is ideal for Fires of Invention although weaker in regards to a food based strategy. Top end we rock some of the more powerful Temur cards in Chandra, Nissa and the Hydra, but the true top end is the Fae of Wishes package which can acces our sideboard for Fires of Invention swings.
The Fae of Wishes package is probably not correct, because this is the first standard deck I've built and I have no idea what is actually popular enough to need answers. However, The Elderspell as a planeswalker answer seems strong with a secondary purpose of stacking our planeswalkers into a single ultimate if need be. Role Reversal I wasn't completely sold on, but we can produce every kind of permanent and I could see a bunch of fringe scenarios where it would be quite good. Clear the Mind as anti-mill card and minor gravehate to reanimator while although it may not exist a card to mess over Emry or Syr Konrad decks before they assemble the combo (assuming Konrad isn't out yet, but I theory crafted a deck that self milled until Korad then combo using Forever Young placing X creatures on top for X damage, drawing Emry then casting for 4 more damage when you mill the 4 creatures. It took a lot of set up, but seemed powerful if it fired off so I figured a sb answer had a place -- if this is a nonsense idea you might want to cut this card). Rampage of the Clans might be alright if you've been making food or your opponent is on some sort of deck super reliant on artifacts and/or enchantments, but the 3/3 won't kill you. Tamiyo rebuys whatever you've used. Time Wipe is a sweeper, Ignite the Beacon finds two planeswalkers from your deck if a SB one isn't what you are looking for, Nicol Bolas seems like once you've stabilized he is a fast win-con. Sarkhan seems good against x/1 heavy decks. Embercleave could one shot them potentially (ie Questing Beast in play, with Fires of Invention, you Fae of Wishes (Granted) for Embercleave and cast it onto Questing Beast for a 5/5 deathtouch vigilance double strike trample haste that when it hits the player it hits planeswalkers as well. A second copy of Chandra for removal/sweeper/slow finisher. Casualties of War seems like the likely first pick off Fires in most situations that don't need a mass creature board wipe. Ugin against things like Wilderness Reclamation, Bolas' Citadel, Thousand-Year Storm or Fires decks where coming out and removing a single permanent is game breaking while leaving behind a 2/2 producer. Mass Manipulation for when that is broken and you have a tremendous amount of mana.
Is anyone playing something similar and or have comments/criticisms? I'm sure the land base isn't perfect/very good, but it's what I have one thing I've been considering is just cutting the off colors that long shot into Golos activated ability and just adding on color temples in their place. Cards I previously had in include maindeck singleton Tamiyo, Sarkhan, and Skarrgan Hellkite as well as sb singletons of Outlaw's Merriment, Captive Audience and Covetous Urge.
I've been thinking about this concept deck for a while now, but have not figured out a good shell to start testing at an FNM with. So if you are down to brew, I'd love to hear your thoughts as I haven't come across this deck idea yet on Reddit, the forums or Youtube yet although I'm sure others are looking at similar interactions. So first off Dreadhorde Arcanist is a powerful card when you have a bunch of spells that it can recur and also is simply a fine blocker against fast aggro. Grixis has Opt and Shock as 1 drops relevant and good with Arcanist, but also in the new set is Scheming Symmetry. For us Shock is to stay alive, Opt is to set up, and Scheming as a combo piece. The combo I am most interested in is Bolas's Citadel. If Dreadhorde Arcanist and Bolas's Citadel are in play, you cast Scheming Symmetry tutoring Thousand-Year Storm to the top of your deck, then pay 6 life to cast it. Then you move to attacks and attack with Dreadhorde Arcanist targeting the Scheming Symmetry you cast earlier in your graveyard which will create an additional copy withThousand-Year Storm. The first Scheming Symmetry will resolve, with the second on the stack allowing you are opportunity to cast an instant you fetched from the top of your deck, I am going to assume here that the opponent has a bit of a board presence and tutor Moment of Craving, casting it for 2 life (8 total for the turn with the Thousand-Year Storm losing 6 earlier), and making two additional copies from Thousand-Year Storm. This will gain you 6 life back (-2 for turn). At this point the second copy of Scheming Symmetry will resolve, and you will search up another copy of Scheming Symmetry which you cast for 1 life (-3 for turn), and Thousand-Year Storm will create 3 additional copies. With three copies on the stack, one resolves finding Blink of an Eye (make 4 additional copies, -4 life for turn), as an example, to return hate cards like Leyline of Sanctuary to the opponents hand (although obviously this hate card needed to be bounced earlier given Scheming Symmetry needs to target them, but maybe Narset, Parter of Veils or something needs to be returned -- I think bounce is probably still important to include as a mention), then the next Scheming Symmetry resolves with 2 more on the stack. Shock at this point makes 5 additional copies, so Shocking them out should be on the table with Shock as the next Symmetry target as well. If shock isn't an option maybe a white splash is in the deck with Depose // Deploy with 5 copies making 2 thopters, then gaining 3 life, then 2 thopters, then gaining 5 life, then 2 thopters, then gaining 7 life, then 2 thopters, then gaining 9 life, then 2 thopters, then gaining 11 life, then 2 thopters, then gaining 13 life, repeat with a second copy to have 26 thopters at the ready next turn (there is take extra turn cards like Chance for Glory and Nexus of Fate which then makes this likely lethal on your extra turn's attack phase). Or burn works, but just used the shocks early game Ral's Outburst with 5 copies would be 18 damage and a lot of digging which should get you the last points to cast from hand (you spent 1 mana this turn) or the additional Symmetry's will find another burn spell to close it. Simply Nexus for 6 turns, or for 7 turns, or Nexus for 8 turns then likely makes attacking with your 1/3 Dreadhorde lethal as well if you bounced their board with Blink of an Eye and have Shocks in your graveyard (Nexus, then Moment of Craving, then Nexus again would work I assume given enough targets for moment for your opponent). I get that this is a 2 drop surviving, a 6 drop artifact in play, and then a Symmetry in hand to win, but it seems like many cards that fit into the combo finish would simply be good in a Grixis Control list. I feel like a starting shell would look like the following:
That shell of core cards to start is 26 cards, which allows you wiggle room to customize the Grixis Control deck to more controlling or potentially maybe adding a reanimator shell on top of it. For example with a reanimator look you could fill it out with Tomebound Lich, Blood for Bones, Search for Azcanta, Radical Idea, Nicol Bolas, the Ravager, and a reanimation target like Vilis, Broker of Blood or Niv-Mizzet, Parun. I feel though, that Grixis control is one of the better starting places as even a value Bolas's Citadel that gets "stuck" on something like a counter on top is a decent surprise for the opponent.
Which would be 35 cards, with 25 (26 at 61 card deck) lands which should be close to good with the Opts. Enter the God-Eternals would be a nice finisher to the combo as well with the final Scheming Symmetry and worth looking at in the sideboard at the least. I think additional Ritual of Soot in the sideboard as well as at least a copy of Legion's End in the board for aggro and Counterspells and potentially more discard for control would be smart, Duress (one drop can be cast off the Dreadhorde), Thought Erasure, Negate, Disdainful Stroke (though I would be scared of these against the little Teferi). Some answers to Thrashing Brontodon such as Cast Down would also be high on my considerations for the board.
Like I opened with, I'm not sure how good this concept would be and if you have any ideas on improvement or even a different direction to take it in, I'm listening. (One more thing to note about Enter the God-Eternals, I thought it would be hilarious as the finisher due to milling their tutored card with the final Symmetry, but the idea of them not having a creature to target scares me off as a maindeck option for the first path. I feel like using Moment of Craving to build up life, then Blink to bounce their board, then Nexus a ton for enough turns to lethal them with dreadhorde is one of the safest lines. You can replace Blink with the Dispersal half to kill their hand as well if you have to pass turn (lower on life than Nexus). The new Mythic Brainstorm Horse I think could replace Kefnet pretty easily as the beefy creature of the deck that can also block a medium to large flying threat.
gatherer.wizards.com is a good resource to see what is in standard and if it was printed in an earlier set(s) too, you click advanced then Standard for format and you can see everything currently in standard. Then there is https://magic.wizards.com/en/content/standard-formats-magic-gathering that shows which sets are currently in standard, with Magic 2019 through Ixalan rotating out in the Fall whenever that new set comes out (Guilds of Ravnica, Ravnica Alliance, War of the Spark, Magic 2020, new Fall set would be Standard legal sets).
There are a few cards not in packs that are in standard as well such as the Welcome to Magic newcomer decks sometimes have something like Shivan Dragon or whatever in them as well as buy a box promos.
Well, Giant Spider isn't in the set. If I'm not mistaken, it is the only card that has been every single Core Set ever since Alpha. It was in M19. It's not in M20. I suppose that is equal parts epic and sad.
Bring Back
WW
Instant
Choose up to two target permanent cards in your graveyard that were put there from the battlefield this turn. Return them to the battlefield tapped.
"As long as your courage remains, your life will not falter." Sephara, Sky's Blade
____
Seems like it would be good in eternal formats having two fetchlands in play, end of their turn crack them for white duals and then bring back the two fetchs having 4 mana and a free land drop on turn three. Then later when lands are irrelevant can save creatures, walkers and other potentially potent permanents like equipment from removal. Potentially a white Veteran Explorer type card that could spawn a midrange deck for Modern or Legacy.
I've assembled in paper a deck using it but it's pulled in two directions and both directions are bad against (I'm blanking on the name but the XX gets X counters remove a counter to deal 1 damage). However I think it's good enough to explore probably as two separate ideas.
So first off is a combo. The combo is Sigarda's Aid (I think this is roughly $5), Combat Celebrant (This is probably in the $5 range), and Helm of the Host (I think this is ~$10). This allows turn 3 Celebrant and turn four Helm, with Aid equipping it for free (or both in the same turn for 7 mana), then before combat you get a Combat Celebrant token with haste which you exert. Then you get another combat and before the extra one you get another token. It's potentially a bad splinter twin combo for Pioneer, like Sigarda's Aid isn't 100% necessary, but it skips waiting to equip. I haven't seen others using this combo, but I think it's potentially alright.
Like I mentioned my deck is pulled in another direction as well, the other one uses Sigarda's Aid with Colossus Hammer unblockable 1 drops (I use 4 of the morph on and 4 of the 1/2 each cost 1 blue). As well as Curious Obsession and control elements like Spell Pierce and a couple Chained to the Rocks (which can be tutored with Open the Armory if you have equipment in hand already). Online I play a deck similar to this low to the ground hammer version, but only UW which also runs 4 Mystic Sanctuary and KAladesh commons in Aether Tradewinds (this allows you to bounce back the hammer if they removed disrupted you, then recast for 1) and Disappearing Act which provide just enough tempo to close.
I don't have MTGO open, but off the top of my head my version looks something like:
4 Slither Blade
4 Judge's Familiar
4 Spell Pierce
2 Open the Armory
4 Aether Tradewinds
4 Disappearing Act
4 Sigarda's Aid
4 Curious Obsession
4 Hallowed Fountain
4 Glacial Fortress
4 Mystic Sanctuary
1 Plains
7 Island
2 Field of Ruin
In the double direction one I have built I cut down on Judge's Familiar, Aether Tradewinds, and Disappearing Act and add the Combat Celebrants, Helm of the Host, the 1WU return a creature to their hand 2/3 they can't play that cardname next turn, and the land base changes and the inclusion of mountains opens up Chained to the Rocks (pretty sure you could include some pacifism effects or the Stuck in the Moon (not sure the exact name but its a 2U aura that makes a creature or planeswalker a wastes essentially).
What is pressing Collected Company out of being a top 50 played card, ditto Aetherworks Marvel and Jeskai Ascendancy? If I'm not mistaken these three were supposed to be "look out for" pillars of three strong decks entering the format, and potential ban targets -- yet none of the three are banned and none are top 50 played cards, despite being a 4 of in a deck featuring them?
My first thought is RB Vampires given how much madness exists in the tribe and there is other support that could work within the framework too. I might be missing something obvious, but here is a quick idea.
4 Falkenrath Gorger
4 Knight of the Ebon Legion
4 Insolent Neonate
4 Olivia's Dragoon
2 Gifted Aetherborn
1 Olivia, Mobilized for War
1 Drana, Liberator of Malakir
4 Bloodhall Priest
1 Hazoret the Fervent
2 Champion of Dusk
4 Thoughtseize
4 Fiery Temper
Planeswalker 3
3 Sorin, Imperious Bloodlord
Land 21
1 Geier Reach Sanitarium
4 Blood Crypt
4 Dragonskull Summit
4 Unclaimed Territory
6 Swamp
2 Mountain
Maybe Hazoret's Monument could do something with Falkenrath Gorger but I'm not sure how it would play out. Playing a Vampire, discard a card (madness it and trigger monument again) draw a card repeat for available mana seems maybe worth exploring? I'm not sure where it would fit though.
Edit: Herp derp I thought of one obvious inclusion I forgot when I made a quick list and that is Smuggler's Copter which seems absolutely insane in the deck and is a four of for sure.
The first step is getting Lotus Field into play, the first turns you will be playing simic lands and casting Opt, Shimmer of Possibility and Sylvan Scrying to dig towards or tutor your Lotus Field. On turn three you float mana and play Lotus Field, and if you have it in hand counter the sacrifice trigger with Tale's End. Another version of Lotus Field in the deck is Thespian's Stage which you could play turn 3 instead of Field, and then on turn four float two mana play Field, sac simic lands, and use the mana to copy Lotus Field.
Once you have at least two Lotus Fields in play you can use untap effects like Vizier of Tumbling Sands, Hidden Strings and Pore Over the Pages to generate mana while drawing cards.
You also utilize copy effects such as Ral, Storm Conduit, Doublecast, Expansion // Explosion, cards like Pore Over the Pages become really insane copied and untaping lands that produce 3 mana a piece. The kill condition is either Banefire, or something like Ral's static ability (perhaps with the double Expansion trick from standard).
4 Vizier of Tumbling Sands
Spells 34
2 Banefire
4 Opt
2 Doublecast
2 Finale of Revelation
4 Hidden Strings
4 Shimmer of Possibility
3 Sylvan Scrying
3 Tale's End
2 Pieces of the Puzzle
1 Supreme Will
4 Pore Over the Pages
2 Dig Through Time
1 Apex of Power
1 Blast Zone
4 Botanical Sanctum
1 Breeding Pool
2 Island
4 Lotus Field
1 Lumbering Falls
2 Temple of Mystery
3 Thespian's Stage
4 Yavimaya Coast
2 Swan Song
2 Displacement Wave
2 Fry
2 Hydroid Krasis
1 Negate
2 Return to Nature
1 Sphinx's Revelation
1 Supreme Verdict
2 Sphinx of the Final Word
source for the above deck: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/2482520#paper and https://www.reddit.com/r/PioneerMTG/comments/duajm8/deck_tales_end_storm_pioneer_follow_up_from/
4 Vizier of Tumbling Sands
Planeswalkers 2
2 Ral, Storm Conduit
Spells 32
4 Opt
4 Doublecast
4 Growth Spiral
4 Hidden Strings
2 Shimmer of Possibility
2 Sylvan Scrying
2 Repeated Reverberation
4 Pore Over the Pages
4 Treasure Cruise
2 Expansion // Explosion
4 Botanical Sanctum
7 Island
4 Lotus Field
2 Temple of Mystery
1 Thespian's Stage
4 Yavimaya Coast
2 Banefire
1 Fae of Wishes
3 Negate
3 Return to Nature
2 Crackling Drake
2 Precognition Field
1 Niv-Mizzet, Parun
1 Sphinx of the Final Word
75 Cards Total
source from the above deck: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r03pu7LM58A and https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/2501341#paper
I've ordered a copy of the first deck since it contained more cards I don't own that aren't already in another deck, but I plan on making room for a Ral and I'd like to test a Thousand-Year Storm.
The second list has a turn 3 kill video on Youtube found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnK6e73Yi_c
Some powerful lines include:
T1: Cryptbreaker
T2: Lazotep Reaver, tap the token, the reaver, and the Cryptbreaker draw a card.
T1: Stitcher's Supplier, mill 3
T2: Lotleth Troll, discard Deathless Knight(s)
T3: Gorging Vulture, mill 4, likely gain life and get back the Deathless Knight(s) to pitch to Lotleth Troll again.
T1: Stitcher's Supplier, mill 3
T2: Satyr Wayfinder, find a land put 3 others into the grave
T3: Diregraf Colossus (potentially up to a 8/8, likely something like a 4/4 or 5/5)
T4: Cryptbreaker, make a zombie, Lazotep Reaver, make a zombie, make a zombie army, draw cards make land drops
With a stocked graveyard Dawn becomes pretty sweet, and the first often powers a second and so one with the 12 self milling creatures digging towards the next copy. Although Deathless Knight isn't returned by Dawn, the Wayward Servants see all the creatures entering and trigger life gain and the Gorging Vulture can gain life as well returning them to your hand. Another way to get Deathless Knights back is instant speed discard with Cryptbreaker make a zombie which triggers Wayward Servant which works nice in hands featuring Cryptbreaker, Lotleth Troll, and Wayward Servant.
4x Deathless Knight
4x Diregraf Colossus
4x Gorging Vulture
4x Lazotep Reaver
4x Lotleth Troll
4x Satyr Wayfinder
4x Stitcher's Supplier
4x Wayward Servant
4x Isolated Chapel
4x Overgrown Tomb
4x Temple Garden
4x Woodland Cemetery
Attached is a random turn 4 screenshot ready to draw cards with Cryptbreaker to show potential board presence.
4 Arboreal Grazer
4 Fae of Wishes
2 Bonecrusher Giant
3 Wicked Wolf
2 Questing Beast
1 Golos, Tireless Pilgrim
3 Beanstalk Giant
1 Hydroid Krasis
Enchantment (4)
4 Fires of Invention
Instant (2)
2 Flame Sweep
Planeswalker (7)
1 The Royal Scions
1 Domri, Anarch of Bolas
2 Oko, Thief of Crowns
1 Mu Yanling, Sky Dancer
1 Nissa, Who Shakes the World
1 Chandra, Awakened Inferno
3 Mountain
1 Island
4 Forest
1 Mystic Sanctuary
1 Castle Embereth
3 Castle Vantress
1 Karn's Bastion
2 Interplanar Beacon
2 Fabled Passage
2 Steam Vents
4 Breeding Pool
1 Stomping Ground
1 Overgrown Tomb
1 Temple Garden
1 The Elderspell
1 Role Reversal
1 Clear the Mind
1 Rampage of the Clans
1 Tamiyo, Collector of Tales
1 Time Wipe
1 Ignite the Beacon
1 Nicol Bolas, Dragon-God
1 Sarkhan the Masterless
1 Embercleave
1 Chandra, Awakened Inferno
1 Thought Distortion
1 Casualties of War
1 Ugin, the Ineffable
1 Mass Manipulation
I just finished brewing and acquiring the cards for this deck idea I've been working towards, but am just now getting ready to shuffle it up and gold fish it. I put a bit of thought into it and watched quite a few standard videos while I've been acquiring cards and other ideas I enjoyed more -- Emry and Witch's Oven for example -- an artifact or creature based engine seems too poor against Oko for me to be excited to take such a fun deck to FNM. So I started gravating towards planeswalker based strategies and enchantment based strategies and felt this was an adequate blend. Whereas previous Golos Fires decks revolved around fetching Field of the Dead, here our single Golos can fetch a less impactful but still awesome assortment of lands. The two off color shocks to utilize his activated ability, a Mystic Sanctuary to rebuy that fetched Casualties of War, Time Wipe or whatever that nearly won you the game the first time you fetch'd and cast it off Fires, a Karn's Bastion to proliferate your Planeswalkers, or a Castle as a mana sink. The Temur mana base should be a bit better than the Golos 5 color ones, but this is just what I have and may not be an actually correct mana base. Flame Sweep however seems like it would be a reasonable board wipe and could be used in conjunction with chump blocking (Fae of Wishes) to deal with a 3 toughness creature. Mini-Simic Food package with Oko + Wicked Wolf + Questing Beast, which this mid-range package seems very powerful at protecting your 3 CMC walkers, to which we play The Royal Scions, Domri, Anarach of Bolas, and Mu Yanling, Sky Dancer as well as Oko. The one drop allows you to play your 3 CMC walker on turn two, and does so in land based acceleration which is ideal for Fires of Invention although weaker in regards to a food based strategy. Top end we rock some of the more powerful Temur cards in Chandra, Nissa and the Hydra, but the true top end is the Fae of Wishes package which can acces our sideboard for Fires of Invention swings.
The Fae of Wishes package is probably not correct, because this is the first standard deck I've built and I have no idea what is actually popular enough to need answers. However, The Elderspell as a planeswalker answer seems strong with a secondary purpose of stacking our planeswalkers into a single ultimate if need be. Role Reversal I wasn't completely sold on, but we can produce every kind of permanent and I could see a bunch of fringe scenarios where it would be quite good. Clear the Mind as anti-mill card and minor gravehate to reanimator while although it may not exist a card to mess over Emry or Syr Konrad decks before they assemble the combo (assuming Konrad isn't out yet, but I theory crafted a deck that self milled until Korad then combo using Forever Young placing X creatures on top for X damage, drawing Emry then casting for 4 more damage when you mill the 4 creatures. It took a lot of set up, but seemed powerful if it fired off so I figured a sb answer had a place -- if this is a nonsense idea you might want to cut this card). Rampage of the Clans might be alright if you've been making food or your opponent is on some sort of deck super reliant on artifacts and/or enchantments, but the 3/3 won't kill you. Tamiyo rebuys whatever you've used. Time Wipe is a sweeper, Ignite the Beacon finds two planeswalkers from your deck if a SB one isn't what you are looking for, Nicol Bolas seems like once you've stabilized he is a fast win-con. Sarkhan seems good against x/1 heavy decks. Embercleave could one shot them potentially (ie Questing Beast in play, with Fires of Invention, you Fae of Wishes (Granted) for Embercleave and cast it onto Questing Beast for a 5/5 deathtouch vigilance double strike trample haste that when it hits the player it hits planeswalkers as well. A second copy of Chandra for removal/sweeper/slow finisher. Casualties of War seems like the likely first pick off Fires in most situations that don't need a mass creature board wipe. Ugin against things like Wilderness Reclamation, Bolas' Citadel, Thousand-Year Storm or Fires decks where coming out and removing a single permanent is game breaking while leaving behind a 2/2 producer. Mass Manipulation for when that is broken and you have a tremendous amount of mana.
Is anyone playing something similar and or have comments/criticisms? I'm sure the land base isn't perfect/very good, but it's what I have one thing I've been considering is just cutting the off colors that long shot into Golos activated ability and just adding on color temples in their place. Cards I previously had in include maindeck singleton Tamiyo, Sarkhan, and Skarrgan Hellkite as well as sb singletons of Outlaw's Merriment, Captive Audience and Covetous Urge.
From Return to Ravnica onwards with fetchlands banned is the new official format.
4 Dreadhorde Arcanist
Sorcery (4)
4 Scheming Symmetry
Instant (13)
4 Opt
4 Shock
2 Moment of Craving
2 Blink of an Eye
2 Ral's Outburst
1 Nexus of Fate
2 Bolas's Citadel
Enchantment (1)
1 Thousand-Year Storm
That shell of core cards to start is 26 cards, which allows you wiggle room to customize the Grixis Control deck to more controlling or potentially maybe adding a reanimator shell on top of it. For example with a reanimator look you could fill it out with Tomebound Lich, Blood for Bones, Search for Azcanta, Radical Idea, Nicol Bolas, the Ravager, and a reanimation target like Vilis, Broker of Blood or Niv-Mizzet, Parun. I feel though, that Grixis control is one of the better starting places as even a value Bolas's Citadel that gets "stuck" on something like a counter on top is a decent surprise for the opponent.
4 Dreadhorde Arcanist
1 God-Eternal Kefnet
Sorcery (11)
4 Scheming Symmetry
2 Thought Erasure
2 Discovery // Dispersal
2 Cry of the Carnarium
1 Ritual of Soot
4 Opt
4 Shock
2 Moment of Craving
1 Blink of an Eye
1 Bedevil
1 Ral's Outburst
1 Nexus of Fate
3 Narset, Parter of Veils
1 Nicol Bolas, Dragon-God
Artifact (2)
2 Bolas's Citadel
Enchantment (1)
1 Thousand-Year Storm
Which would be 35 cards, with 25 (26 at 61 card deck) lands which should be close to good with the Opts. Enter the God-Eternals would be a nice finisher to the combo as well with the final Scheming Symmetry and worth looking at in the sideboard at the least. I think additional Ritual of Soot in the sideboard as well as at least a copy of Legion's End in the board for aggro and Counterspells and potentially more discard for control would be smart, Duress (one drop can be cast off the Dreadhorde), Thought Erasure, Negate, Disdainful Stroke (though I would be scared of these against the little Teferi). Some answers to Thrashing Brontodon such as Cast Down would also be high on my considerations for the board.
Like I opened with, I'm not sure how good this concept would be and if you have any ideas on improvement or even a different direction to take it in, I'm listening. (One more thing to note about Enter the God-Eternals, I thought it would be hilarious as the finisher due to milling their tutored card with the final Symmetry, but the idea of them not having a creature to target scares me off as a maindeck option for the first path. I feel like using Moment of Craving to build up life, then Blink to bounce their board, then Nexus a ton for enough turns to lethal them with dreadhorde is one of the safest lines. You can replace Blink with the Dispersal half to kill their hand as well if you have to pass turn (lower on life than Nexus). The new Mythic Brainstorm Horse I think could replace Kefnet pretty easily as the beefy creature of the deck that can also block a medium to large flying threat.
There are a few cards not in packs that are in standard as well such as the Welcome to Magic newcomer decks sometimes have something like Shivan Dragon or whatever in them as well as buy a box promos.
Giant Spider's streak died in M13
Minotaur Pirate
Haste
Whenever you discard a card, Glint-Horn Buccaneer deals 1 damage to each opponent.
1R, discard a card: Draw a card. Activate this ability only if Glint-Horn Buccaneer is attacking.
2/4
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Source: https://twitter.com/Martinpdisalvo/status/1143353105561587717
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Potentially pretty decent with the recently spoiled Bag of Holding as well as Wheel of Fortune type cards.
WW
Instant
Choose up to two target permanent cards in your graveyard that were put there from the battlefield this turn. Return them to the battlefield tapped.
"As long as your courage remains, your life will not falter." Sephara, Sky's Blade
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Seems like it would be good in eternal formats having two fetchlands in play, end of their turn crack them for white duals and then bring back the two fetchs having 4 mana and a free land drop on turn three. Then later when lands are irrelevant can save creatures, walkers and other potentially potent permanents like equipment from removal. Potentially a white Veteran Explorer type card that could spawn a midrange deck for Modern or Legacy.