This past weekend,
JDS Events (one of
the groups I work
with) hosted a
Team Challenge
event. It was an
interesting format
where everyone made
a four man team.
Each team member
participated in a
different format.
Two of the formats
are regular
competitive
formats. Two were
more casual formats.
This lead to some
interesting deck
building. Also,
because of the point
scoring system,
positioning and
standings were more
important, as there
were no playoff
rounds in each
individual event.
So, there were some
neat ideas and
strategies that were
tried.
A fun deck that
managed win the
Standard format was
Izzet Tron. It's a
Blue/Red deck. It's
managed to go
3-0-1. That's
pretty solid
considering the
matchups that the
deck was up against.
Here is what Martin
Alcala's build
looked like:
Izzet Tron
4 Remand
4 Mana Leak
4 Telling Time
3 Cerebral Vortex
3 Keiga, the Tide
Star
3 Ryusei, the
Falling Star
3 Electrolyze
3 Volcanic Hammer
2 Mimeofacture
2 Blaze
1 Invoke the
Firemind
1 Tatsuma, the
Dragon's Fang
1 Godo, Bandit
Warlord
4 Shivan Reef
4 Urza's Mine
4 Urza's Tower
4 Urza's Power Plant
4 Steam Vents
4 Izzet Signet
1 Miren, the Moaning
Well
1 Minamo, School at
Water's Edge
Sideboard:
4 Giant Solifuge
4 Remove Soul
3 Pyroclasm
3 Shattering Spree
1 Mimeofacture
I wish I had more
time to ask about
some of the card
choices, but overall
it seems pretty
straight forward.
The interesting
thing about this
build is that it
strays from some of
the normal choices.
That's one of the
reasons I like this
build.
The notable
exception right from
the start is Meloku.
Meloku seems to be
an automatic choice
for everyone that
plays a slower Blue
deck,
but not this time.
I also like the
inclusion of Good in
this build. Having
the Urza lands makes
him a bit more
viable. Also, the
underappreciated
dragon is being
played in this deck
as well. So there
are some neat idea
going on here that
players should enjoy
for a good change of
pace.
I'm personally not a
big fan of Cerebral
Vortex. There has
to be something
better that this
deck can play. I'd
do some looking
around, but there
most definitely has
to be a better
choice. Play
something you feel
comfortable with in
that slot, but the
vortex just doesn't
do it for me.
I must admit that
I'm not a huge fan
of the Giant
Solifuge. However,
against control type
matchups, this card
could be key. Once
it hits the table,
they need a board
sweeping effect to
deal with it. Also,
the fact that it has
haste will allow it
to sneak in for four
damage quickly and
keep you on tempo.
I would like to see
just a little more
direct damage in
here. Maybe another
Volcanic Hammer and
some Shocks would be
nice. Mimeofacture
seems to have a few
limited uses, but
I'm not sure I'd
want that extra one
hanging out in the
sideboard. As a
matter of fact, I
may even want a
couple of bounce
type effects to get
Blood Moon off the
board in case of
emergency. I'd hate
to see my Urza lands
stuck as mountains.
The deck did manage
to get the job done
though, so there's a
lot to be said about
this build. It also
stood up to a good
selection of decks
which included
creature rush decks
and control decks.
Unfortunately, this
decks been covered
so much online
recently that there
isn't a lot to say
about it. I just
felt it was
important to give
you guys a heads up
on different
variations that you
might run into.
It's obvious that
this deck is very
versatile.
There are a ton of
card choices that
Blue/Red players
have access to right
now. I've
personally been
looking into putting
together some
interesting Blue/Red
stuff and that's the
largest reason. You
can build a deck
that can morph
easily to
accommodate any
Standard environment
right now. When
preparing against it
though, this means
that you won't be
able to plan your
strategy so simply.
You won't know for
sure what you are up
against.
You should
definitely
experiment with a
deck like this.
Find what you like
and don't like. And
more importantly,
tune it to fit what
you expect to play
against locally.
You have the options
to allow yourself
this luxury. Take
full advantage of
it. You can even be
more aggressive if
you want. There's
no law that says
Blue/Red has to be
control heavy.
