How to start in Standard?
Standard forum
Posted on May 27, 2014, 6:33 p.m. by Programmer_112
Hey guys,
When I first started playing Magic, I didn't realize that cards could become illegal in certain formats. After making my first deck, I found that it was illegal in Standard, so I played in Modern. However, I recently had a desire to start playing Standard. And so I ask you, since you guys probably know better than I do: What kind of deck should I make to get started in Standard?
Thanks to all replies!
Programmer_112 says... #3
Not really. I'd prefer not to spend excessively, but if I have to, it's not a big deal.
May 27, 2014 6:48 p.m.
Well, right now, we have a decently healthy meta. It really depends on your playstyle and favorite colors. What and how (aggro, midrange, control, combo/ramp, etc.) do you like to play?
May 27, 2014 6:54 p.m.
The Doctor says... #5
Aggro : Mono Blue or Mono Red
Midrange : Jund Monsters or R/G Monsters
Control : Esper
May 27, 2014 6:58 p.m.
There have been arguments about this, and my side is kind of losing right now, but I wouldn't say that Mono Blue is aggro. It is definitely not control, but it is not fast enough to be called aggro. I would call it midrange.
Mono black is also something to consider.
May 27, 2014 6:59 p.m.
The Doctor says... #8
I could see it being called both, it just simply as a deck structure has the means of aggro, but the cards of midrange. If that makes sense? Like the cards are half and half.
May 27, 2014 7:01 p.m.
Programmer_112 says... #9
Thanks for the replies! I will probably make a few test decks to see which of these work for me, but it all looks goood.
May 27, 2014 7:03 p.m.
strateupjee says... #10
Honestly if you want to win, go to Starcitygames.com and look at the recent decks that won and build one of those, learn it, and play it haha
May 27, 2014 7:11 p.m.
ryuzaki32667 says... #11
You can also watch some of their coverage they put on their youtube account if you have time. It will give you an idea of how each deck operates and of the matchups, Sometimes there are some sweet decks that don't make the actual top 8, but yea if you don't have time just looking at the top X listings does work also.
May 27, 2014 7:15 p.m.
kungfuturtle says... #12
I say the best way to start into standard is to make a deck out of what you have currently, take it to FNM and just suck. Then make modifications then suck less, rinse repeat,
It will let you grow not just buy in
May 27, 2014 7:39 p.m.
BoromirOfGondor says... #13
If this is your first ever foray into standard, here are my recommendations:
-Avoid playing control until you are comfortable with the metagame. Control is a strategy which takes time and effort to perfect, especially in standard.
-The least convoluted deck in the format is probably either Red Deck Wins or White Weenies. The Red deck is a solid choice for a beginner, and is also rather competitive.
-Always be willing to learn, even from decks that you may think are less powerful than your own. Make adjustments accordingly.
-If your FNM or playgroup metagame is focused around a certain strategy (for example, the majority of players at my LGS play Mono-Black Devotion) then you may want to consider building a deck geared toward defeating that archetype.
-Finally, here are a few links to simple and (relatively) cheap decklists to start off with:
http://magic.tcgplayer.com/db/deck.asp?deck_id=1200020
http://magic.tcgplayer.com/db/deck.asp?deck_id=1200672
http://magic.tcgplayer.com/db/deck.asp?deck_id=1197269
Enjoy!
May 27, 2014 7:57 p.m.
wombatman880 says... #14
In the purest sense. Mono-blue is aggro. It can easily reach a rabbit score of 5-6 which is pretty fast in standard. It's not as showy that 2nd turn as mono-red or white-weenie but on the 5th turn, a 5/5 god is alive or a master of waves is put down creating 5-8 tokens at 2/1 meaning that turn 5 swing will be between 10-12 points minimum. If there was no interaction (this is what rabbit means) then it'd be a cloudfin at 2/3 and one at 1/2, a tidebinder mage, a frostburn weird, a thassa, and a master and 7 tokens on turn 5 attacking which optimally and with no actual plays for 5th turn would be 30 points of damage. This is unlikely in real magic but so is that madcapped 1 drop surviving past a doomblade or even a simple disperse.
More to the original question though. Mono decks are going to be your cheapest bett. Lands are where you'll spend a lot of money. Mono-blue is actually my recommendation though but try and change it up just a bit from the expected mono-blue, There is definitely room to tweak the deck for your local meta.
Many mono-color decks may not be as good post rotation though. Be aware of what cycles out in October and try to plan early towards an archetype that might still be relevant when the new cards come out. If you are playing FNM though don't neglect the older cards until they are obsolete. It's harder to win when you aren't using all the tools and if you are paying to play then you might as well try to win.
May 27, 2014 8:05 p.m.
Gorgosaurusrex says... #15
I've been having great success with my mono-red devotion build. I change it up every week and either splash red for Turn / Burn and Cyclonic Rift or black for Dreadbore and Rakdos's Return . I think midrange devotion decks are the most fun decks to play in the current standard.
May 28, 2014 12:13 p.m.
wombatman880 says... #16
I hate red in general but one good point for mono-red (since it's land base is cheap) is that there is almost always some form of red deck wins at some point.
May 28, 2014 10:22 p.m.
Gorgosaurusrex says... #17
Red is my favorite color in Magic and the color I enjoy playing the most. It is a great entry point because mono red aggro decks will always be at least semi competitive and will always have an inexpensive land base as wombatman880 has mentioned.
Right now the only expensive cards for red decks are Boros Reckoner and Stormbreath Dragon . You could build a playable red deck full of 1 and 2 drops (Rakdos Cackler , Firedrinker Satyr , Firefist Striker , etc) for less than $30! It won't be as consistent as any top-tier deck but it is the cheapest way to get in to playing standard. It's about the same cost as a Maze's End turbofog deck.
May 29, 2014 1:42 p.m.
Dalektable says... #18
Or you could play Maze's End like he said because
1) It will let you learn about many of the archetypes in standard
2) It's a deck no one expects to play
3) You get to play Chromanticore
4) You get to piss people off.
May 29, 2014 3:12 p.m.
moxGemmarald says... #19
I think control is a great archetype to start with. You'll lose a lot at first, but you'll learn more about every other deck when you play control, because you have to learn to gauge what's coming.
UW is the strongest control deck at the moment. Currently Esper is more like UW with black splash, and the less stable mana base isn't worth the splash in my opinion. Thoughtseize is a powerful card, but it's far from the top of a control deck's power. The same goes for UWR - splashing for red isn't worth janking up your mana.
Since rotation last year there hasn't been as much land synergy, which means less valid three-color decks. Green works best in three color because of the mana dorks, but control is so much more precise when sticking to solid UW.
Just my two cents...
May 29, 2014 3:30 p.m.
Gorgosaurusrex says... #20
Dalektable is right. I spent $50 on a Maze's End deck and played it weekly for a few months. After learning what decks were popular in my meta (U/W Control and Mono Black... go figure), I chose a deck that was both fun for me to pilot and gave me a slight advantage over the popular decks in my area.
Now I just need to figure out how to deal with the inevitable G/R monsters build, lol. That's easily my worst matchup.
May 29, 2014 5:07 p.m.
wombatman880 says... #22
As an additional note to the above after you've goldfished you might want to consider some other pets to test against. Some popular types of pets are shown here. This allows you to test against common archetypes (and some not so common but likely to devastate a meta unprepared for their use). It's also always good to just play humans but since you probably don't always have access to humans with competitive decks and deck skills, testing against pets can be rewarding for knowledge reasons.
The Doctor says... #2
Are you worried about a budget?
May 27, 2014 6:38 p.m.