spectreblade
in
mtg
Rotating a Blue/White Standard Deck
Hello, all. I'm making this post because I'm looking for some advice on how to update this Standard-format White/Blue deck for the upcoming set rotation. While it is Standard format, and the most developed of my decks, I mostly use it in games at my local card shop's casual nights on Thursdays. The shop recently started holding Friday Night Magic as well. I used this deck at their first one, where it went 2-1.
Lands: 24
7 Plains
8 Island
4 Glacial Fortress
4 Seachrome Coast
1 Moorland Haunt
Creatures: 16
3 Gideon's Lawkeeper
1 Geist of Saint Traft
3 Darkslick Drake
2 Dungeon Geists
2 Archon of Justice
2 Sunblast Angel
1 Consecrated Sphinx
1 Drogskol Reaver
1 Stormtide Leviathan
Other Spells: 20
2 Ponder
4 Feeling of Dread
4 Oblivion Ring
4 Dissipate
1 Entreat the Angels
2 Day of Judgment
1 Tamiyo, the Moon Sage
1 Venser, the Sojourner
1 Temporal Mastery
Sideboard: 15
2 Grafdigger's Cage
4 Celestial Purge
3 Grand Abolisher
4 Negate
2 Divine Reckoning
So, my main strategy with this deck is to protect myself in the early game with spells like Feeling of Dread, Oblivion Ring, Dissipate, etc., then overwhelm them with flying creatures and card drawing to win. In its current incarnation, its biggest defensive tool is its tapping effects, although the Lawkeepers will be rotating out, as will the Sunblast Angels, who can turn those tap effects into removal. I can do that by playing something like a Feeling of Dread during my opponent's turn to tap down multiple creatures, then following up on my own with Sunblast, killing them. It's also an effect I use Tamiyo's card drawing ability to gain further leverage off of before Sunblasting them. I could even wipe the board repeatedly with Venser in play, which, sadly, will also be rotating out.
There are a few changes that are mostly no-brainers, assuming I can get my hands on the cards. I hope to replace the Seachrome Coasts with Hallowed Fountains, the Day of Judgments with Supreme Verdicts, and the Oblivion Rings with Detention Spheres, for instance. I might replace the Darkslick Drakes with Runewings, as they can fill the same role of a damage dealer/defensive creature that opponents will be reluctant to kill, and which I won't be too upset about having to destroy if I find myself overwhelmed and needing to play a board sweeper. Archon of Justice plays a similar role, but on a larger scale. Too bad that's also rotating out...
Others are less obvious. My biggest concern is figuring out what to do about the large chunk of my primary damage dealers that are rotating out, like Archon of Justice, Sunblast Angel, and Consecrated Sphinx. I'm considering adding a few Sturmgeists, but I'm not certain they'd be the best choice, due to the fact that their power and toughness is based on my hand size, meaning that an empty hand will mean a dead Sturmgeist. Righteous Authority has a similar effect in aura form, which means the enchanted creature will live even if I get hit with a discard effect, but I'd still need a creature to enchant with it. I'll likely be adding an Archon of the Triumvirate or two, but other than those, I'm stumped on the problem of choosing big flyers to end games with. The Triumvirates are also expensive in terms of mana, and this deck is a bit top-heavy as it is. I could use a few Azorius Keyrunes of I absolutely need the mana acceleration, though.
So there's the deck and my current thoughts on it. What are yours?
Lands: 24
7 Plains
8 Island
4 Glacial Fortress
4 Seachrome Coast
1 Moorland Haunt
Creatures: 16
3 Gideon's Lawkeeper
1 Geist of Saint Traft
3 Darkslick Drake
2 Dungeon Geists
2 Archon of Justice
2 Sunblast Angel
1 Consecrated Sphinx
1 Drogskol Reaver
1 Stormtide Leviathan
Other Spells: 20
2 Ponder
4 Feeling of Dread
4 Oblivion Ring
4 Dissipate
1 Entreat the Angels
2 Day of Judgment
1 Tamiyo, the Moon Sage
1 Venser, the Sojourner
1 Temporal Mastery
Sideboard: 15
2 Grafdigger's Cage
4 Celestial Purge
3 Grand Abolisher
4 Negate
2 Divine Reckoning
So, my main strategy with this deck is to protect myself in the early game with spells like Feeling of Dread, Oblivion Ring, Dissipate, etc., then overwhelm them with flying creatures and card drawing to win. In its current incarnation, its biggest defensive tool is its tapping effects, although the Lawkeepers will be rotating out, as will the Sunblast Angels, who can turn those tap effects into removal. I can do that by playing something like a Feeling of Dread during my opponent's turn to tap down multiple creatures, then following up on my own with Sunblast, killing them. It's also an effect I use Tamiyo's card drawing ability to gain further leverage off of before Sunblasting them. I could even wipe the board repeatedly with Venser in play, which, sadly, will also be rotating out.
There are a few changes that are mostly no-brainers, assuming I can get my hands on the cards. I hope to replace the Seachrome Coasts with Hallowed Fountains, the Day of Judgments with Supreme Verdicts, and the Oblivion Rings with Detention Spheres, for instance. I might replace the Darkslick Drakes with Runewings, as they can fill the same role of a damage dealer/defensive creature that opponents will be reluctant to kill, and which I won't be too upset about having to destroy if I find myself overwhelmed and needing to play a board sweeper. Archon of Justice plays a similar role, but on a larger scale. Too bad that's also rotating out...
Others are less obvious. My biggest concern is figuring out what to do about the large chunk of my primary damage dealers that are rotating out, like Archon of Justice, Sunblast Angel, and Consecrated Sphinx. I'm considering adding a few Sturmgeists, but I'm not certain they'd be the best choice, due to the fact that their power and toughness is based on my hand size, meaning that an empty hand will mean a dead Sturmgeist. Righteous Authority has a similar effect in aura form, which means the enchanted creature will live even if I get hit with a discard effect, but I'd still need a creature to enchant with it. I'll likely be adding an Archon of the Triumvirate or two, but other than those, I'm stumped on the problem of choosing big flyers to end games with. The Triumvirates are also expensive in terms of mana, and this deck is a bit top-heavy as it is. I could use a few Azorius Keyrunes of I absolutely need the mana acceleration, though.
So there's the deck and my current thoughts on it. What are yours?