by Kar Yung Tom
KYT here burning the midnight oil to bring you the latest Standard technology. Even though M11 is fast approaching, there are still pre-M11 tournaments to be won. Japanese Nationals is happening right as we speak and it currently holds the record for being the biggest Nationals event ever. Known for their innovation, the Japanese did not disappoint with some of them (including reigning Player of the Year Yuuya Watanabe) playing an RUG Vengevine list.
RUG Vengevine is actually not 100% innovative. Mark Hornung played it at a SCG 5K tourney going 8-2 and finishing in 13th place. When I contacted him today on Twitter, he said he would change his list by cutting the Sea Gate Oracles. He would replace them with 3 Borderland Rangers and a 3rd Nest Invader. He also stated that he would try his best to find room for Caldera Hellions in the sideboard. Finally, he confirmed my suspicions that Mono Red is the deck’s toughest match-up.
Maindeck:
Artifacts
2 Eldrazi Monument
Creatures
4 Bloodbraid Elf
3 Goblin Ruinblaster
4 Lotus Cobra
2 Nest Invader
4 Noble Hierarch
4 Sea Gate Oracle
3 Siege-Gang Commander
3 Sphinx of Lost Truths
4 Vengevine
Planeswalkers
3 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
Basic Lands
4 Forest
4 Island
3 Mountain
Lands
4 Misty Rainforest
3 Raging Ravine
4 Rootbound Crag
2 Scalding Tarn
Sideboard:
4 Cunning Sparkmage
2 Master of the Wild Hunt
2 Mold Shambler
3 Vapor Snare
4 Flame Slash
I have been scouring Japanese sites and I found the following list on the official Japanese MTG site. I cannot confirm that it is exactly what Watanabe and co. are playing at Nationals, but it is better than nothing. I just played a set of games against Flores with it and it seems to run quite smoothly.
4 Misty Rainforest
3 Raging Ravine
4 Rootbound Crag
2 Scalding Tarn
1 Verdant Catacombs
5 Forest
3 Island
3 Mountain
4 Bloodbraid Elf
4 Noble Hierarch
4 Lotus Cobra
1 Nest Invader
4 Sea Gate Oracle
3 Siege-Gang Commander
2 Sphinx of Lost Truths
4 Vengevine
2 Eldrazi Monument
3 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
4 Lightning Bolt
Sideboard
1 Acidic Slime
2 Basilisk Collar
2 Chandra Nalaar
4 Cunning Sparkmage
3 Flame Slash
3 Master of the Wild Hunt
I am planning to play this tomorrow at a 1K event. If you have any quick thoughts, maybe I will have time to read them when I wake up in the morning.
Good night!
KYT
Kar Yung Tom (KYT) is the Digital Content Manager for Face to Face Games. He oversees the F2FTour.com and Magic F2F websites. He is also the lead host of the First Strike podcast.