The Magic Mondays- Apex Predator...and other good ****.
With Chaz Volpe
Ohhhhhhh man. A LOT has happened in one week since our last time together here on Magic Monday’s. Hey everyone, how’re you? Oh, your head exploded from M15 spoilers? Mine almost did too. Did you sit there and jump up and down in your underwear when SCG spoiled Chord of Calling? ….Me too. With that being said, let’s get on with the Magic Mondays!
With Chaz Volpe
Ohhhhhhh man. A LOT has happened in one week since our last time together here on Magic Monday’s. Hey everyone, how’re you? Oh, your head exploded from M15 spoilers? Mine almost did too. Did you sit there and jump up and down in your underwear when SCG spoiled Chord of Calling? ….Me too. With that being said, let’s get on with the Magic Mondays!
Wow.
There we have it everyone, the Apex Predator. This will likely be a thing in Standard for sure, other formats, well, we shall see. Though this card lives up to the hype Wizards has put us through and deserving to be, the chase mythic of this set. Garruk, Apex Predator will for sure have a wide variety of players wanting this from table-top EDH games, to perhaps the top 8 tables of a major event. Never thought to put 4 abilities on a planeswalker ever again, here we are some years later with our jaws on the floor. The comparison to Jace, the Mindsculptor ends with they both have 4 abilities, but one thing is for certain is this incarnation of Garruk will be a thing.
So let’s recap before we talk about Garruk and other M15 cards in a standard setting:
1.) 4 abilities: Check.
2.) In a ramp color: Check.
3.) Appeals to a wide variety of players: Check.
4.) Has 4 abilities: Check.
There’s not much a player will want to do that Garruk can’t do. With 4 abilities, like jace, he brings everything a Green and Black player wants to do, kill stuff, and protect himself, and win the game. His abilities and ultimate do just that.
Let’s look for a moment another card that this Garruk (ironically being a Planeswalker killing psychopath now) plays well with.
I think the coupling of these two will bring joy to every green casual and tournament grinder out there. The BSB group and myself have talked about Nissa, and her implications on standard. Then the Apex Predator got dropped on our heads and we had to retrace our steps.
This is a decklist we have been kicking around the Facebook group with:
Well, I should say that has all changed now. I think it’s a great base to add and reform the deck to include a black splash much to the success of recent GB devotion decks. With the inclusion of Garruk, Apex Predator, and cards such as Thoughtseize we are able to produce a potent strategy for the coming summer meta. Though we will have to re-evaluate that come October where new questions will be raised as to the validity of devotion decks and where certain cards stand.
One thing is for certain, I think the future of standard resides in the color green. There are just so many cards and tools in the color that lend itself to be the primary deck-building color for Standard. Who’s to say we won’t see Courser of Kruphix, Eidolon of Blossoms, Nissa, and Garruk all working together? I think the chances are high. With Nykthos, and the newly spoiled M15 reprints Urborg, tomb of Yawgmoth, and Chord of Calling, there is the foundation of a winning strategy.
Something like this (until October that is):
Again, this is totally untested and perhaps can be improved on greatly. I leave that open for more discussion and tweaking. Though you have to admit, doesn’t seem like a pile! I think this is a great starting point for a potent strategy and archetype.
Let’s recap a few other spoilers:
Jace, the Living Guildpact: Wow! Another Jace! Oh...what? He sucks? That’s new. It seems the general consensus is this card is poo. I’m inclined to agree because the only argument I have for a redeeming quality is the Loyalty. He has a ton of it, unfortunately that doesn’t mean anything when his abilities are lacking. -3 for a Boomerang? Come on, I think they could of done better. What a waste of good art too.
Ajani Steadfast: Back to back Ajani cards. Well, I certainly didn’t see that coming. For all you storyline enthusiasts, yes that’s Elspeth’s cape he is wearing. I really like this one, it’s splashable. While Ajani does usually stand the test of time of being decent every time the print a new version, I think this is on par with Ajani Vengeant in terms of power. It might even see Modern play because of the casting cost being so splashable, and ability to play well with others. Oh! They also removed the dependency of having a creature in play to use his ability. Bravo!
Hushwing Gryff: Interesting little hate-bear. I’m sure it will fit nicely as another addition to the ever popular Death & Taxes list, or Moderns ‘Hatebears’.
...and yes, Chord of Calling. It’s a fantastic card, I think another writer of ours, Samuel Wells, will touch on it more.
Phew, well, hopefully you’re all as excited as I am for the coming Standard. I feel a bunch of other players are burning for October, in hopes that they are finally bringing standard to a great spot. As much of a letdown Theros block is in terms of raw power level, I think Wizards needed to hold the reigns back just a bit to bring a very diverse, and fair format. Though, I could be horribly wrong, I hope I’m not!
Until then, let’s enjoy M15, and receive it as a great overall core-set.
*I’m going to update you all on the G/W Constellation deck from last week in it’s own article later this week** I think it deserves it’s own article, especially after seeing M15 spoilers.
As always, thanks for spending your time with me here on these Magical Mondays.
Chaz
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