As I am writing this post, I have the RPTQ Melbourne showing right in front of me. It was round 5, and 2 Atarka Red blazing the field with each other.
2 newest additions to what used to be known as Mono Red and literally transform it to a more resilient Atarka Red. Atarka's Command provided a 2 for 1 trade with all opponents, a 2 cmc burn similar to that of a Lightning Strike and a +1/+1 pump. The Command also allow the user's creatures to gain Reach which is invaluable in this format of Dragons. With DTK, Boss Sligh in this current standard no longer become a 'cast all gas and pray for the best' deck. It becomes a more strategic deck:
Of course, the match ends with the player who brings in Stoke the flame to get extra value from the tokens created.
On the other side of the field, making its presence from GP Krakow - Esper Dragons:
Before DTK, UB control is a force to be reckon with , with the addition of dragons such as Dragonlord Ojutai, coupled with 'hard counter' - Silumgar's scorn, the power level of the deck has just increased to a stage where the lower curve control becomes more efficient and effective, the upper curve's win condition (win-con) provides better value, other than winning.
During KTK, when Crackling doom first spoiled, it was termed as one of the best removal in the format. However, due to its challenging casting cost, unless you are into 'Mardu' (r/w/b) colours, it is almost never see play. Now, with Foul-Tongue Invocation, any hexproof/indestructible creature becomes a viable target. Also, the gain life function allows UB control to 'time-walk' any Boss Sligh decks that normally deals up to 3/4 damage by turn 2.
Interestingly is the splash of white to add Dragonlord Ojutai, referring to the decklist below:
From above, it can be seen that Dragonlord Ojutai (DL O) joins the rest of the team of 'win-con'. What role does DL O plays in a deck like this?
- How much do I commit?
- Do i Dash my Zurgo?
- When do I cast Atarka's Command to gain maximum value
- How will my plays be, matching up against Control, Mid-range, Aggro, Mirror
Of course, the match ends with the player who brings in Stoke the flame to get extra value from the tokens created.
On the other side of the field, making its presence from GP Krakow - Esper Dragons:
Before DTK, UB control is a force to be reckon with , with the addition of dragons such as Dragonlord Ojutai, coupled with 'hard counter' - Silumgar's scorn, the power level of the deck has just increased to a stage where the lower curve control becomes more efficient and effective, the upper curve's win condition (win-con) provides better value, other than winning.
During KTK, when Crackling doom first spoiled, it was termed as one of the best removal in the format. However, due to its challenging casting cost, unless you are into 'Mardu' (r/w/b) colours, it is almost never see play. Now, with Foul-Tongue Invocation, any hexproof/indestructible creature becomes a viable target. Also, the gain life function allows UB control to 'time-walk' any Boss Sligh decks that normally deals up to 3/4 damage by turn 2.
Interestingly is the splash of white to add Dragonlord Ojutai, referring to the decklist below:
| Esper Dragons by Alexander Hayne Winner |
||
Planeswalker
1 Ugin, the Spirit Dragon Creature 3 Dragonlord Ojutai 2 Silumgar, the Drifting Death Sorcery 2 Thoughtseize 2 Crux of Fate Instant 3 Anticipate 1 Disdainful Stroke 4 Silumgar's Scorn 2 Bile Blight 2 Ultimate Price 3 Hero's Downfall 2 Foul-Tongue Invocation 2 Dissolve 4 Dig Through Time |
Sideboard:
| |
From above, it can be seen that Dragonlord Ojutai (DL O) joins the rest of the team of 'win-con'. What role does DL O plays in a deck like this?
- Roadblock, like literally dropping a DL O and not tapping which allows it to have hexproof can put all aggro deck to a halt
- Constant 'anticipation', with each hit, it allows the caster to dig deeper into the deck for answer to maintain board state
- Synergise with Foul Tongue and Silumgar Scorn
- Able to recur with the help of Haven of the Spirit Dragon
Superficially with the above 4 reasons, it is already strong enough reasons to splash for DL O. Not to overlook is Haven of the Spirit Dragon (HotSD). In the past, UB control match ups with Abzan variants tends to drag and grind because the Control decks tend to wait to a point where they can cast Ugin with counter back ups due to Hero's downfall. Now, Esper Dragons can go ahead and tapped out for Ugin due to HotSD. Now, this point can never be overlooked. In competitively plays, the pity to all Control decks is the 50 minutes time limit and because of that, most of their matches end up in a Draw. Speeding up the casting of win-cons without much backlash allows a more aggressive plays and hence more wins!
Well, at this moment, I just finished a match ending up in Intentional Draw (ID) between Abzan Aggro and Atarka Red. Looking forward to the SCG Cleveland and hope to bring all of you the latest updates and plays from it!
Cheers, MT out.
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