So this will be the last update because once Ixalan rains Dinosaurs and Pirates onto Standard the majority of this deck will have rotated out and I'll absolutely be getting my Dino on.
Anyway, the deck to beat right now is Zombies. I played the top Zombie deck with ALL of my current Standard decks and this one was the only one that could actually beat it. It was beyond frustrating, but it made me realize that this deck is still really good and completely viable even against the top tier decks in Standard. This will require a decent overhaul and purchasing some more cards but totally worth it since this is also very fun to play and very rewarding.
MVP cards in this particular matchup that also perform well in other matchups are Declaration in Stone and Harsh Scrutiny. Disrupting their turn 1 or turn 2 play with Scrutiny by removing a key creature from their hand is incredibly clutch, especially if you are on the play. The Scry 1 is just icing. Once the Zombie Horde floods the board, Dec in Stone is just way too good. It's also great to get rid of Lord of the Accursed which is about the only non-token zombie that I ever see multiples of. Exile is just too good also since it keeps things from crawling right back... These both need full playsets, if not in the Main then at least access to full sets via the Sideboard.
Anguished Unmaking was another power play to get rid of Liliana's Mastery or Liliana herself. Again, Exile when used on things like Relentless Dead to stop the recursion of Zombies is pretty clutch. It also ensures that something like Diregraf Colossus doesn't drop down with a bazillion counters on it. This is another catch all permanent removal card that needs to be available with a full playset.
Fumigate won't need a full set, especially with Hour of Revelation coming soon as a discount board wipe that will probably pair up to make a set of 4. The life gain from Fumigate probably makes it strictly better in this particular matchup as you'll need all the life you can get, but a 3 mana Sweeper is always incredibly tempting. On that note it may be worth considering Bontu's Last Reckoning as another 3 mana sweeper but I'm not sure this is the right place for that. I've also put some consideration towards Cataclysmic Gearhulk. most likely a sideboard one of.
Now that Gisela, the Broken Blade
Meld appears to be out of the limelight and her cost has come down I think it's time to go up to a full set. Cost was the only reason I didn't have 4 in the first place, and now they are manageable. I'm not sure what to cut down, but Restoration Gearsmith was my initial thought. The grave robbing is awesome, but it's not always as dynamic as I'd hoped. Still a great card that I'll leave in the sideboard, but for the same mana "Princess Bubblegum" just does more work. The First Strike, Flying, and Lifelink are all just too good not to, and since she is within a Revolted Fatal Push from death and easily shot down with Dark Salvation. Seriously, screw that card. Melding into Brisela, Voice of Nightmares
Meld
Meld has such unbelievable power VS Zombies because the ONLY card that could stop it would require 10 or more Zombies on the field for -10/-10 (Dark Salvation). Obviously the current Zombie decks can absolutely shit out more than 10 Zombies via tokens, but unless they already have several on the field that isn't super likely. 21 Mana to do it from an empty board and that ain't gonna happen. I assume it would take closer to 7-13 mana to do enough realistically which unfortunately is possible. However, not one of the Zombies in the deck could be hard cast anyway so they'd either have to already be out or Liliana's Mastery would have to make a few first and that's just too slow.
High CMC considerations that may be interesting are Approach of the Second Sun and Cruel Reality. Sorin, Grim Nemesis is an absolute beast and his +1 for card advantage and damage is just amazing. Both of these cards would hit hard and give me either repeatable creature destruction with eventual massive damage repercussions or gain a decent chunk of life followed by an eventual win condition that gets past a stalled board. Seriously, some of these games went 15-20 turns before anyone could win because of all the spot removal.
Cast Out is just a really good Magic card. I think it has a place in any deck with access to White, and it deserves a spot here. Angel of Sanctions also fits the bill and I'd like to try at least one.
I'm considering Winged Shepherd as a high CMC card that synergizes well with Sorin that I can also ditch cheaply for another card and could, if needed, even buy back with Bruna or the Gearsmith. Not sure, but it seems alright. I wish for 6 mana it was a bigger body like a 4/4, but whatever. Still just thinking on this guy. Actually, I just noticed Angel of the God-Pharaoh leaked for Hour of Devastation which is a 4/4 Flying for 6 and Cycling... Hmmm...
Trespasser's Curse seems like a funny sideboard option against the Zombie matchup. Go ahead and flood the board, burn for it. Also, follow up with Dec in Stone before they get to attack for full value. It also works pretty well in matchups that involve infinite Thopter tokens or at least massive token drops as well as Servos and other wide strategies.
Never / Return? Useful spot removal that is probably better than To the Slaughter at least in this match because you can choose what to kill, but at Sorcery speed. I love the fact that the actual CMC of the card is 7 though. Sorin approves. Might give this a try as well, at least as a two of. Exiling for a token is meh, but to remove creatures from your opponent's graveyard is solid. The CMC alone makes this a strictly better Ruinous Path even at Sorcery speed for this specific deck. I like the dual purpose of it as well.
Oracle's Vault? It's a slow deck that can afford the turns it would take to get online. Probably going to skip this one, but it's something I'd classify as "Mehby".
Gideon's Defeat seems more Meta dependent, but Liliana's Defeat is crazy powerful, especially against Zombies. It's interesting that this would also work against Nicol Bolas since he is Black, which leads me to believe that this will be an expensive sideboard staple for Standard, at least until Liliana and her Zombies go away. Hmmm...
I never used Behold the Beyond in this deck, but I'm reconsidering it as another high CMC payoff card for Sorin that has a sweet effect (taking any 3 cards to your hand right out of your Library could be amazingly clutch). Maybe. Just going back through my options in Standard.
Call for Unity? Kill my stuff or I flicker/sacrifice my own stuff and my stuff gets bigger. Might be a bigger threat than Angel of Invention as far as field buffs since there aren't as many focuses on Enchantment removal (at least not as many as creature removal). I don't know, I took out Always Watching because I don't get to be all that wide very consistently. I do like the Angel because it essentially trades with 3 unbuffed Zombie Tokens while gaining two life to mitigate the damage from a 4th. It did alright when I needed it to. I'd usually rather play it as a 4/3 with Lifelink but it just dies too easy with Salvation anyway, and they always have Salvation...
Cliffhaven Vampire? A weird choice, but here's my thought process. It's a decent CMC which fits the theme with Sorin. Higher toughness means I get more value if I dodge Exile or chump block a huge fatty and sacrifice it to Ayli, Eternal Pilgrim. It also adds extra damage whenever I gain life which is something I do quite regularly, especially if I do end up using Trespasser's Curse. It having Flying doesn't suck, and it can safely block 2/2 and 3/3 Zombies. Maybe a one of Defiant Bloodlord is easier to squeeze into the sideboard. It also says they lose "that much life" which means Gisela, Brusela, and Angel of Invention practically have Double Strike. I'm leaning more in this direction.
Distended Mindbender? High CMC, love the effect, wish it had Flash. Probably not, but thinking out loud I really like this guy.
Emeria Shepherd is such a cool Angel I can't believe I didn't consider it before. I think it's just because I didn't have one and wasn't looking but I think there needs to be one of these, especially if I cut back on Gearsmiths. This can even bring back Sorin, guys. Seriously, this is an amazing card. Exquisite Archangel falls 100% into this same category. Why not?
Ever After? Another one I had considered and dismissed. Having second thoughts again, straight to the battlefield is pretty sweet, especially since that will likely be 10-12 CMC worth of creatures.
Linvala, the Preserver? Seems equally likely that you'd be gaining 5 life and a 3/3 Flying Angel Token in the Zombie matchup. If there's a slot in the sideboard I could make a case for one of these. Not as dynamic as other options, though.
Victory's Herald? All attacking creatures gain Lifelink? Ok, that's got a bit of potential... The triple white is a concern for reliability, but not if I cheat it out from the graveyard... How very interesting...
Void Winnower? Doesn't do jack against Zombies really other than having a huge CMC for Sorin (I've always wanted to dome somebody with an Eldrazi using Sorin...), but this combined with a melded Brusela really puts the screws to opponents and I've always wanted to pair the two in the same deck. I've been team mates in Two Headed Giant games with people that can make this pair happen so I know it's very scoop-inducing.
So it turns out I have a TON of options to reconsider since I last updated this deck at the Kaladesh release. With so many top decks getting neutered from card bannings it seems the deck to beat is either Mono-Black Zombies or Orzhov Zombies and I'm certain this deck can get the job done. Hopefully it doesn't end up costing me an arm and a leg since I haven't packed very many of these additions at all...
