Standard

Getting Competitive: Game Plan, Part 1

Usually, my favorite way to kick off every week’s installment of Getting Competitive is to go through an in-game scenario from the Magic the Gathering tournament I had previously played. Those introductions are enjoyable to write, as I can feel the reader empathizing with whatever happened. When I have the victory in hand but lose to a top-deck, I can hear readers saying, “Oh, I’ve been there,” or, “You lucky (choose your own expletive),” when I come away with a game that I had no business winning.

This week, however, I want to go through a different kind of scenario and hear what you have to say about my decision. So, in my keeper fantasy hockey league, I was offered Henrik and Daniel Sedin for my two first round picks and better draft position… Ha! Just messing with you. Yes, that deal was offered to me, and I gladly brought the Scandinavian twins to Molleson HC, but that isn’t the deal I want to talk about. Sorry fellow armchair GMs!

Although the scenario in question is actually a trade, it’s completely Magic related. On Tuesday, I had the chance to sleeve up for a Standard tournament at a store where I haven’t played before. In the middle of the event, somebody picked out Archangel of Thune from my trade binder.

I own only three copies of Thune, so I said I would only trade it in the right deal. After leafing through his traders, the only cards that really caught my eye were his two copies of Hallowed Fountain. That left around $6 for me to find in his binder to make my value back. The only other card that worked for me was Kitchen Finks. Sitting at $1 left I’m sure I could’ve found something to complete the deal or just take the hit. The only question was if it was the right deal.

I didn’t really like the concept of going down to two copies of the Angel. I think she can fit into a lot of lists as a two-of with one in the sideboard. That said, the prospect of two shock lands that will most likely go up with a card that fits nicely into Modern Pod decks was intriguing.

In the end, I decided to turn the deal down. The Sedins may have been welcomed with open arms to the team, but the same could not be said for the life draining lands. Was I crazy to turn that deal down? Did I overvalue hanging onto my third copy of Thune? What’s your opinion? My decision was obviously looking forward to what I wanted to play after rotation by keeping Archangel of Thune, but it was probably a financial misplay.

Theros on the Horizon

As with trading, any time spent deck building is best used towards playing with Theros Standard. There isn’t really any point investing your time and resources into a format that will last only a couple more weeks.

With so little time left, now is a perfect time to create a game plan for the end of the month, when Standard hits the refresh button. This doesn’t mean posting a couple of lists and saying why they will work; it’s about figuring out what you can do to best prepare yourself for the future. I could just throw a bunch of cards at you and tell you how they work in various builds, but that’s not what Getting Competitive is about. I want to create a workshop to help players use their own resources efficiently and effectively. Even, if you have been playing MTG for a while, hopefully you take something away from every article!

Taking Stock

First things first: when planning for a new format, it’s important to know what you’re working with. There are three main sections that make up the base of your game plan. These are:

1) Physical Resources
2) Foresight
3) Interests

These can vary greatly from player to player, but the basis is the same. Using these three things to figure out where you fit into the new Standard will help you lead an organized attack on the format. Let’s expand on the three sections.

Physical Resources

This is the true starting point when heading towards rotation. Before you move forward, you need to know what you have to work with. What deck or decks are you playing right now? Is what you have together now adaptable to Theros Standard without sacrificing power by switching out a few cards? If so, and if you’re enjoying what you’re currently running, then you are well ahead of the game.

For most players, that’s not the case thanks to the power level of Innistrad block and M14. If you’re with the majority of players like me, you need to take note of the major cards you have and decide what you can build around or use to support new cards.

Once you have a rough inventory, it’s time to look at what you have to work with from a financial standpoint. Have you banked money or store credit to invest in new cards or will you be working off of a periodic budget like I do for this deck series?

Regardless, once you know what you have to spend, you’re ready for the next section. However, depending on your financial resources, you may have to look at things a little differently.

If you have the capital to go on a singles buying spree then you can start writing deck lists that you want to give a go once you’ve gone through the next two steps. If you will be spending smaller amounts every payday or whatever it may be, then it’s probably a better approach to focus on certain archetypes or colors that are playable. You won’t be able play all of the cards that you want right away, so it’s a good idea to build towards a working project, a lot like the deck I’ve been playing for this series.

Foresight

Now that you have your resources worked out, it’s time to decide what you’re going to buy. This doesn’t necessarily mean Theros cards. Don’t get distracted by the new and shiny cards when a card from the Return to Ravnica block could function better in your deck. For all the brewers out there, that can be easier said than done sometimes.

If you are able to go out and buy everything you need for your deck of choice, foresight isn’t solely focused on your list. If you see some cards that you can pick up for a reasonable price now but will go up in the future, then it doesn’t hurt to load up your trade binder. You may be able to cash out in the future for cards you want to play or even put a deck together without having to splash the extra cash. Shocklands are a good place to start (says the guy who just rejected a trade for two).

Now, if you are going to build a working project deck, your foresight should stick to the list you want to play. It’s simply resource management. What cards are the best to buy with your limited budget? You will inevitably end up spending a larger percentage on the most important cards in the draft, but don’t let the money cards be the deciding factor in what you buy.

Instead, look at what builds offer the best, affordable support cards. When working with a budget, the ratio of cheaper cards to money cards will generally be pretty one-sided. If you can build a consistent deck through the support cards that are pushed over the top by the big guys, then you’re much better off.

Although there might be flashier choices out there to spend your money on, the deck will be much less effective if you can’t pick up the cards to back them up.

Do you have a few different paths you can take but are unsure of which route to go? This leads to the final section.

Interests

This is the most simple yet hardest section of the game plan. By now, you probably have a few different options. You have to ask yourself what you really want to play. If you’re getting bored with the style of deck that you’re using now, you may want to play something completely new to match the format.

Even if you’re on a strict budget and can’t afford to move into new colours, you can always slam the same lands while attacking from different angles. If you’ve been playing aggro, why not try more of a midrange approach? Maybe you’ve been playing UW Control but are growing tired of it? There are definitely some creature decks waiting to be put together with those colours.

As I said, this is the simplest section but the hardest to complete. Try not to be impulsive; really think about how you’re going to be building for the upcoming months. It’s always a good idea to proxy up some decks with friends and try them out!

Getting Competitive: Game Plan Part 2 Preview

I want to take everything from this article and use it practically, but unfortunately, I can’t do that without making this article a true epic. Later this week, I will go through the steps with the deck I’ve been using for this series. Because it’s been a while, here’s what it looks like currently:

[deck title=GW Midrange]
[Creatures]
2 Angel of Serenity
3 Arbor Elf
1 Armada Wurm
4 Avacyn’s Pilgrim
3 Centaur Healer
3 Fiendslayer Paladin
2 Scavenging Ooze
4 Thragtusk
3 Wolfiir Silverheart
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Advent of the Wurm
3 Ajani, Caller of the Pride
4 Selesnya Charm
[/Spells]
[Lands]
9 Forest
2 Gavony Township
5 Plains
4 Sunpetal Grove
4 Temple Garden
[/Lands]
[Sideboard]
4 Knight of Glory
3 Oblivion Ring
3 Ranger’s Guile
3 Ray of Revelation
2 Rootborn Defenses
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]

I will have $130 to spend thanks to the budget I’ve been banking and to cashing out at two recent tournaments. I think the deck may require an overhaul, so it should be lots of fun next week!

Good luck to everyone making their game plans this week. If this is your first rotation in Standard, it’s a lot of fun to start fresh with all of the other decks out there. Have fun brewing, and enjoy your pre-releases this weekend! As always, thanks for reading!

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