BW Warriors

Last time, I discussed the current state of the Standard Pauper metagame now that the full effects of the rotation of Standard and the release of Battle for Zendikar have worked their way into the format. I mentioned how four particular archetypes - Izzet Tempo, UB Control, Rakdos Aggro, and RG Landfall - have earned the top spots in the format. But I also mentioned that there is one other archetype that hasn't gotten as much attention, but is proving to be quite strong. And that's exactly the deck I piloted to a Top 8 finish in yesterday's MPDC 31.03. Let's take a look at the list:

BW Warriors

Top 8 in MPDC 31.03 by gwyned

Creatures 4 Cleric of the Forward Order 4 Disowned Ancestor 4 Kalastria Nightwatch 3 Herald of Dromoka 3 Mardu Hordechief 3 Sandsteppe Outcast 3 Sultai Scavenger 1 Vulturous Aven 25 cards Other Spells 4 Rush of Battle 4 Read the Bones 4 Pacifism 12 cards

Lands 8 Plains 7 Swamp 4 Evolving Wilds 4 Scoured Barrens 23 cards Sideboard 3 Mardu Skullhunter 1 Bone Splinters 2 Feat of Resistance 2 Harsh Sustenance 2 Butcher's Glee 10 cards

My list is adapted from the original pilot of the archetype KyranOHyran, who earned the 2nd place spot in last week's MPDC with it. I made a few modifications from that list, mostly to add card draw and removal to push the deck more towards a mid-range strategy. Essentially, the deck relies upon creating a strong early game presence with lots of creatures, keeps its Life total high with some incidental lifegain, then powers through for a quick victory on the back of an evasive Kalastria Nightwatch or Rush of Battle, the latter of which synergizes with almost all of the creatures in the list. It's quite capable of stalling out against early aggression, or overwhelming a more controlling build, or simply winning out of nowhere with Rush of Battle (or just gaining a ton of Life in the process). The flexibility is one of the reasons why I thought the deck would perform well, and on the whole it didn't disappoint.

If you've played with or against this archetype, I'd love to hear what you thought of the deck. Let me know in the comments below.