Overview

Magic 2015 marks the end of the Standard cycle as every core set does. Although not many changes are seen, some of the cards in this core set are still interesting and will probably see play in the next months. Together with the release of Khans of Tarkir and the removal of cards in Return to Ravnica block from Standard, more cards from Magic 2015 will be played in competitive decks.

The first thing to note in Magic 2015 is that it has got a land cycle with the reprint of five enemy pain lands from Apocalypse and the 10th Edition. Some bi-colored lands that do not come into play tapped are added, and this offers a choice between a slow mana base with scry lands versus a quicker mana base which costs some life (with shock lands, pain lands and Mana Confluence). Another important cycle from the set is made of creatures – the Souls. Though these big creatures of six mana remind us of the Titans cycle in M11, they are much less powerful and probably will not see much play in Constructed.

White

White has got some aggressive cards this time, such as the returning Raise the Alarm and the new planeswalker Ajani Steadfast. Another card to note is Hushwing Gryff, which is better suited in Modern or Legacy than in Standard. As a 2/1 flying creature with Flash, it can prevent creatures that are entering the battlefield from triggering abilities, and will certainly be used when attempting to counter Pod strategies.

Black and Blue

Black and Blue do not get a lot of new interesting cards for Standard, but we can still note some nice reprints, such as Sign in Blood for mono-black devotion decks, and Liliana Vess, one of the first five planeswalkers. Black also gets Ulcerate, a cheap removal that costs only one mana but can kill creatures of three toughness. For Blue, Military Intelligence can replace Bident of Thassa, while the new Jace adds another tool for control mirrors.Ensoul Artifact is a very interesting card and has already made some waves in Modern format; although Standard doesn’t have many good cheap artifacts, Affinity players in Modern can turn Etched Champion and Master of Etherium into blue enchantments. In Grand Prix Kobe, Yuusei Gotou finished second with a new affinity deck featuring 4 Ensoul Artifact and 4 Shrapnel Blast (we’ll have a look at the decklist at the end of the article).

Red and Green

Red and Green are the winners in Magic 2015, for they have got some cards that will still be played in Standard next year. Red is very aggressive, as seen in the decks of Team CFB and Team Revolution in Pro Tour Magic 2015.Stoke the Flames and Goblin Rabblemaster are two particularly impressive cards; the former is a strong burn card that deals 4 damage, while the latter can quickly generate an unstoppable army if it isn’t killed.

The mono-green devotion decks gets the most out of the green cards, with the reprints of mana accelerator Elvish Mystic, as well as Chord of Calling which finds the singleton in the deck. Speaking of singleton tools, the new Reclamation Sage is another useful one as it kills an artifact or an enchantment when it enters the battlefield. Some expensive cards, such as Hornet Queen and Genesis Hydra, are the best finishers. Last but not least, the planeswalker Nissa, Worldwaker is a very good addition to mono-green decks and Jund Planeswalkers decks, like the one piloted by Yuuki Ichikawa in top 8 of the Pro Tour. For White and Green aggressive decks, the 2/2 one-drop Sunblade Elf as seen in Jackson Cunningham’s deck has made it to the final of the Pro Tour.

Cards with Potential

Three more cards, thanks to their strong potential, would probably be interesting to the deck builders. These include Agressive Mining, the multicolored seven-mana planeswalker Garruk, Apex Predator, and the new sliver lord Sliver Hivelord. However, the general impression is that Magic 2015 is rather an average set for Constructed, with a few relatively powerful cards but no true superstars.

Conclusion

To conclude, the three best cards for Standard from Magic 2015 are probably Nissa, Worldwaker, Goblin Rabblemaster and Stoke the Flames, and all three will play a huge role in the new post-rotation Standard. Rabblemaster is mostly played in aggressive strategies along Stoke the Flames, but now it’s also appearing in Jund as a way to apply pressure upon the opponent and quickly close games.


Deck lists:

Affinity

Yuusei Gotou

2014 Grand Prix Kobe – 8/23

Modern

Main Deck:

4 Memnite

4 Ornithopter

4 Tarmogoyf

4 Vault Skirge

4 Chromatic Star

4 Cranial Plating

4 Ensoul Artifact

4 Galvanic Blast

4 Mox Opal

4 Shrapnel Blast

4 Springleaf Drum

2 Thoughtseize

4 Blinkmoth Nexus

4 Darksteel Citadel

4 Glimmervoid

2 Mana Confluence

Sideboard:

2 Ancient Grudge

2 Aven Mindcensor

2 Path to Exile

2 Spellskite

2 Sunbeam Spellbomb

1 Thoughtseize

2 Wear // Tear

2 Whipflare



Rabble Red

Tom Ross

2014 StarCity Invitational Standard – Somerset

Type II

Main Deck:

2 Ash Zealot

4 Burning-Tree Emissary

4 Firedrinker Satyr

2 Firefist Striker

3 Foundry Street Denizen

4 Goblin Rabblemaster

4 Legion Loyalist

4 Rakdos Cackler

3 Rubblebelt Maaka

1 Hall of Triumph

3 Lightning Strike

4 Stoke the Flames

1 Titan’s Strength

19 Mountain

2 Mutavault

Sideboard:

2 Boros Reckoner

1 Dynacharge

3 Eidolon of the Great Revel

1 Harness by Force

3 Magma Spray

2 Mizzium Mortars

1 Mutavault

2 Skullcrack



Rabble Midrange

Jeff Hoogland

Type II

Main Deck:

3 Courser of Kruphix

3 Scavenging Ooze

4 Sylvan Caryatid

4 Goblin Rabblemaster

3 Nissa, Worldwaker

3 Xenagos, the Reveler

1AbruptDecay

2 Golgari Charm

1 Hero’s Downfall

1 Putrefy

2 Dreadbore

3 Mizzium Mortars

4 Read the Bones

3 Thoughtseize

2 Blood Crypt

1 Forest

3 Llanowar Wastes

4 Overgrown Tomb

4 Stomping Ground

4 Temple of Abandon

4 Temple of Malice

1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth

Sideboard:

3 Anger of the Gods

1 Doom Blade

1 Golgari Charm

1 Hero’s Downfall

1 Mizzium Mortars

3 Mistcutter Hydra

2 Rakdos’s Return

1 Ultimate Price

1 Scavenging Ooze

1 Thoughtseize