Standard Fare - All about Eldrazi [Edward Eng - Battlemage, Level 42]

By the time you read this, there's a good chance that changes to the banned and restricted list have been made. We all know by now that the Eldrazi have taken over Modern and, to a certain extent, Legacy. I expect Eye of Ugin to get the axe in Modern, so prepare accordingly if you haven't already.

And with the Shadows over Innistrad prerelease this weekend and its release next weekend, the Standard scene is going to also drastically change. But change is good. The question is...will the Eldrazi shift to dominating Standard? I think there's a good chance that the change most of us are embracing will still be marked by the Eldrazi menace.

Going into a new Standard format, you generally want to be proactive. You hear this time and time again. And this time isn't any different. However, in the past, being proactive generally meant going with just one or two colors like Mono Red, BR, or some aggressive UW deck like Humans. But this time we have Colorless as an option. While Colorless isn't actually a color, it still pretty much acts as a sixth color since you have to dedicate your manabase to it which most of us already know by now.

We've already seen a few fully committed Eldrazi decks pop up towards the end of this Standard season. Moving forward, I think this is a good place to start. Let's take a look at the lists.

Standard
Mono Black Eldrazi - Michael Romero

Losing Tomb of the Spirit Dragon is a dent, but that's the only rotating card. Plus, you can replace it with things like Westvale Abbey or Rogue's Passage.

Standard
Mono Red Eldrazi - Kent Ketter

You also need to replace Tomb here. Plus, you need to work the sideboard a bit. Thunderbreak Regent could easily replace Ashcloud Phoenix, and then you'd probably just have to play around with the removal package. Losing Outpost Siege could be a problem but not the end of the world.

Standard
Mono Blue Eldrazi - VikingEric

This version is interesting because you lose Ghostfire Blade, but you could also replace it with Stoneforge Masterwork. And for the sideboard, you just need to swap out the old countermagic for the new. You also probably want to play some bounce or tap spells like Compelling Deterrence or Press for Answers respectively.

I could also see a Mono White Eldrazi version hitting the streets with Declaration in Stone, Eldrazi Displacer, and Archangel Avacyn. And don't forget about Gideon, Ally of Zendikar.

This is going to be an exciting time. We'll see how things shake out. Do you think the Eldrazi will take over Standard?

Peace, love, and have fun…
Eddie

Additional Reading

1. Q & A - Standard Rotation and Picking the Best Deck [Collin Rountree - Sorcerer, Level 39]

2. MTG Reporter - Inaugural Galactic Treasures $1K Tournament Results

3. The MTG Community - Try, Don't Hate [Edward Eng - Battlemage, Level 42]

A Little Bit about Eddie

He started playing Magic around December of 1994, then hit the sanctioned competitive tournament scene in 1997. He played till about 2000 and was on the cusp of making the Pro Tour but stopped to focus on school. He found his old teammate on Facebook in 2009 and got back into the game in 2010. Since then he's played in two Nationals, top 16ed an SCG Invitational, and day 2ed multiple Grand Prix.

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Edward Eng

Galactic Treasures