Playing Aggro in Standard
By: Cody Balsizer
 
Standard. If you are reading this then I am sure most of you are playing the current standard. After all, it is the most widely played Magic format. It is the one that most stores use for their FNM and it is the format that the kid next door plays. I know that not everybody likes standard, seeing as cards like Jace, the Mind Sculptor and Primeval Titan can break one’s bank and really warp the format under their power. However, that should deter you from playing the format, especially when excellent aggressive decks have a strong stance in the format despite seeing minimal play at large events. Everyone has seen the RB Vampires deck and everyone has seen the Elves deck. However, one deck that is being overlooked is the Quest deck. 
 
For some reason, most of the player base just dismisses the Quest deck as a janky, inconsistent glass cannon that sometimes just kills and sometimes doesn’t do anything at all. However, most of these people also have only looked at the Quest deck from one angle, mono-While. They have failed to take into account the benefit of splashing a color. After all blue gives some nice, cheap counter magic to protect your “kill them fast” plan. Black gives you some excellent removal. And Red gives you a Boros feel with fast guys and reach in the form of burn spells. And Green gives you Vengevine and Fauna Shaman and Birds of Paradise….
 
Wait, Vengevine? Fauna Shaman? Birds of Paradise? WHY IS THIS DECK NOT PLAYING GREEN!
 
Well, I will give you a hint, cause few have realized it’s power. For you to have an accurate idea of the deck, here my current list.
 
Creatures(29)
4x Birds of Paradise 
4x Fauna Shaman
4x Glint Hawk
4x Memnite
4x Squadron Hawk
4x Vengevine
3x Ornithopter
1x Kor Outfitter
1x Stoneforge Mystic
 
Spells(8)
4x Quest for the Holy Relic
2x Argentum Armor
1x Beastmaster Ascension
1x Sword of Body and Mind
 
Lands(23)
8x Plains
6x Forest
4x Razorverge Thicket
3x Sunpetal Grove
2x Stirring Wildwood
 
This is deck is legit! It basically takes all of the good parts of the mono-White version and makes the deck all around better. For you who don’t understand the deck let me give you a run down on how the deck is supposed to play out:
 
Turn 1: Quest for the Holy Relic
Turn 2: Play some dudes to get Quest for the Holy Relic close to 5.
Turn 3: Play more dudes to get Quest for the Holy Relic to 5. Swing.
Turn 4: Win.
 
Now the mono-white version is capable of going off on turn 2 and at states I saw a guy go off on turn 1 with the god hand. Questvine is capable of the classic turn 2-3 kills but it doesn’t have the lackluster late game that the White Weenie does. The Fauna Shaman/Vengevine combination is so great at giving this deck some reach and a backup plan in case you armored dude dies. Not only does the Shaman-Vine interaction give the deck some resilience, it also is synergetic with the deck. 
 
Fauna Shaman is just an overall fantastic tutor that allows you to pitch some of your chaff for some business spells and/or creatures that will allow you to hit that ever-coveted five quest counters for your Quest for the Holy Relic. I can’t even begin to describe how many games I have been able to pitch some dead Ornithopters that I don’t need for a Glint Hawk that allows me to not only retrieve a Vengevine but also throw a Argentum Armor on it and swing for 10. It’s just that good. Speaking of Vengevine, he works so well with not only Fauna Shaman but also your mass-casting creature engine like Squadron Hawk and Glint Hawk. Triggering Vengevine is a walk in the park for this deck since everything is so cheap. 
 
Green also gives us access to Beastmaster Ascension. While the card looks out of place, it basically acts as a fifth Quest and gives us something to do with our Ornithopters and Memnites. I have considered adding a second one of these and perhaps cutting a land so if you decide to pick up this monster keep that in mind.
 
And let’s not forget that the splash gives us Birds to play with. There isn’t much to say about Birds other than he wields the equipment well and gives us some good mana ramp. It’s just a nice card for the deck. 
 
So why play this deck over something, say, the RB Vampire deck or the Elf deck? Well, let me explain. All three decks (Vamps, Elves, and Quest) are all incredibly fast decks that can pull off some stupid, stupid quick plays. However, Elves and Vamps are incredibly weak to board wipes like Pyroclasm and Day of Judgment. Now Questvine has these weaknesses too, but Questvine has Vengevine to give it some awesome reach. Sure, Vamps have Bloodghast, but it’s not the same thing and sure, Fauna Shaman and Vengevine can see play in Elves, but Elves don’t have a consistent way to revive Fauna Shaman, whereas a single Glint Hawk can. While I don’t want to deter anyone from playing Vampires or Elves, I do think that Questvine is just better than both of them and I think everyone should consider it and at least give it a try before they toss it wayside.
 
Overall, this is the best Vengevine deck of the format right now and has the best draws in standard, being capable of turn 2/3 kills. Vengevine is such a powerhouse in this meta as he beats up the control decks extremely well and can go the distance against stuff like Valakut. Questvine is the best at reviving him over and over. It is fast and resilient and, through some retooling, capable of breaking into Tier 1. If you are looking for a good aggro deck in standard, Questvine is definitely a strong contender and I recommend it to anyone who really wants to use their Vengevines. 
 
So for my next article I want to do a deck tech and I want you guys to pick it out for me! Just choose from the decks below and post what deck you want me to write about in the forum thread where you can discuss my article or you can email me at csbpay91@yahoo.com. Also, don’t forget to add me on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Ballz09. 
 
blue_yami out.