TWIFE #4 - Power Decks

Metagame Overview

I thought I would introduce a new feature I want to call POWER DECKS. Using a conversion formula to turn T8 appearances into point values, I have ranked all the decks with T8 appearances so far this season. Here they are, for your viewing pleasure.

POWER DECKS

1) SPORE CRY - 19
No big surprises here. This was the second deck (after Orzhov Blink) to score a 2nd gold medal, and the first XPDC victor this season. It's easy to pilot and hard to beat. It's fun to play and it's hell to oppose. Lots of people pick this thing up from scratch and do really well with it (Cadaeic314 being a vocal example).

2) AFFINITY - 13
This is another deck that is everywhere! Various pilots have varying degrees of success, but this deck has T8ed left and right, scoring a gold, a silver, and everything else. Kaityson36 has been the most successful backer of the archetype, but this is another "no-brainer" which allows new players a great degree of success with little prior knowledge of the deck's finer points.

3) RASPBERRY CONTROL - 13
I included another U/R Martyr Control deck under this heading, so it's not just Slippery's handiwork -- but it's largely his doing how this deck got so high up in this ranking system. Two gold medals and a silver ain't too shabby. Even at UPDC 2.04, a field almost entirely devoid of token creatures, Raspberry Control made it happen. This is a deck we could stand to see more of.

4) COGS AND STRIPES - 9
Credit for turning this Classic archetype into a Future Extended contender goes to Kingritz, who started the season off for us with a spellbomb-induced bang at UPDC 2.01. Since then, Baron_Sengir6989 and Lost but Seeking have picked up the banner and done quite well with the deck. It takes a bit of practice, so the entry bar is higher than some other power decks, and the deck also demands three colors, which makes it succeptible to color screw and land destruction, but it has a ton of raw power.

5) XTRA CRISPY - 6
Aside from a few T8 appearances last season, Xtra Crispy has been a powerhouse in hiding. I brought it out and dusted it off at XPDC 1.02, going as high as 2nd place, and the deck has been seen at every Future Extended event since then, never with such success. I firmly believe, however, that this deck's time will come. Let's just hope it comes before the next deck makes a comeback...

6) ORZHOV BLINK - 6
It may appear as though this_guy_dan has struck upon the strategies needed for Orzhov Blink to overcome the inherent disadvantage in the Spore Cry matchup. His 2nd place finish at XPDC 1.03 turned a lot of heads -- he had a field full of green tokens to fight through! His list should certainly be a starting point for any new recruits to this venerable and ridiculously synergistic archetype, yet another one with a low entry bar.

7) PRISON YARD - 5
All five of these points, and in fact all appearances of this deck at Future Extended events, have been due to Eegag. A Top 8 and a gold medal put this deck on the map. It won't go very far if the token hate is out full force (R/x Control players, are you listening?), but it's a good option if the green and white ever start to rise up disproportionately again.

8) MOSTLY-BLUE TEACHINGS CONTROL (MUTC) - 4
Don't let this deck's acronymical nomenclature dissuade you from taking a closer look -- with only one or two backers in the format, this deck has risen above the majority to claim a spot in the POWER DECKS Top 10. Lots of counterspells ruin anyone's day, and Teachings and other Flashback spells ensure lots of card advantage. This deck is still waiting for its first trophy banner.

9) BLUE BEATS - 4
RobE doesn't get much love in the Power Rankings below because he's a newcomer, but he brought this brand new archetype out of the woodwork and into the hearts and minds of all who watched the finals at XPDC 1.03 as it toppled Orzhov Blink in three. Mr Slippery 39's Standard version from pre-rotation may find a home in Future Extended, but RobE's list bore little resemblance, focusing instead on giving a Looter a Bonesplitter. This is a great new addition to the repertoire of Future Extended decks.

10) PARLOR TRICKS ( )/ MONO-BLACK CONTROL ( ) / DRAGONAUT IRESTORM ( ) / STOMPY ( ) - 3
These last four decks all have three points apiece -- some from one strong showing, others from a persistant presence in the playoff rounds. Each of these four archetypes is ripe for development and greater success. Troll the PDCMagic.com Future Extended forum and see what list strikes your fancy!

(The full splendor of the Future Extended metagame can always be enjoyed at the Top 8 Metagame thread for the format, housed at the Princes of Pauper forums.)

XPDC Power Rankings [1.03]

1. POLYJAK -
I suppose I should consider myself lucky that kaityson36 didn't show up to XPDC 1.03, because otherwise I wouldn't still be on top. I have been trying to develop a discard-focused Mono-Black Control deck called Amnesia, based loosely off Evu's Standard creation Apology, but it hasn't really been performing for me. I am a horrible deck designer and should stick with decks other people have designed, which tend to serve me much better.

2. KAITYSON36 -
Kaity is still holding onto his #2 spot even after missing an event, and he's still in striking distance of the top position if the winds work his way in XPDC 1.04 this week. Maybe he took the week off to concoct a follow-up to his gold-winning Affinity list.

3. KROSANBEAST9359 -
Krosanbeast9359's name is easier to type and remember if you use the side keypad. His numbers make a triangle. Anyway, this player has been an unsung but constant force in the metagame, repeatedly piloting R/G Ponza and ruining multicolor players' days left and right. His lone bronze medal belies his significance in the XPDC experience, however. Land destruction has an erosive effect on the metagame -- slow, undetected, but decisive. Will he and his kin push us more toward mono-color decks?

4. MSLANO -
He's still sporting the Servitors, and he's still in the Top 5 of the Power Rankings. Affinity is a fact of life when it comes to Future Extended, and players like mslano carry the torch diligently.

5. LYSANDAR -
Lysandar's avatar on the PDCMagic.com forums is Incinerate, and so it's only fitting that he pick up Xtra Crispy and take it into the playoff brackets. This is a deck that can really produce wins (on a good day) and if Lysandar sticks with it, he may see his star start to rise.

6. fissionessence -

7. Kehmesis -

8. Me5794 -

9. subliminal man2 -

10. LostSymphonies -

UPDC Power Rankings [2.04]

1. MR SLIPPERY 39 -
Double golds and a silver from the pilot and backer of Raspberry Control, the format's top control deck. He's still perfecting it, and each week reaches new conclusions about the deck's contents. But his playskill and his persistence pay off, and he's the top medal-earning Pauper in Future Extended so far this season.

2. POLYJAK -
Speaking of persistence, here I am again. I have attended each of the four UPDC's this season, which accounts for my presence in these Power Rankings. But my deck of choice this week, Amnesia, left me high and dry, shut out of the T8 by a hefty margin. I simply must find a deck that works for me at UPDC.

3. BARON_SENGIR6989 -
Baron sat out at UPDC 2.04, but his deck of choice, Cogs and Stripes, was picked up by Lost but Seeking with considerable success (2-1 before dropping). Baron has dutifully kept Cogs and Stripes on the FutEx radar, and we can expect to see him continue to pilot the deck. He was also recently spotted commenting on the R/G Ponza thread... hints of things to come?

4. MSLANO -
Affinity is strong, but if lano can't steer it beyond the T8, he's doomed to hang out in the lower rungs of the Power Rankings. He'll be hard at work this week, cooking up a secret formula to give his deck the edge it needs to break free of the Quarterfinals Slump.

5. EEGAG -
Eegag got roped into piloting Amnesia with me this week, and due to his greater skill he met with greater success. His two appearances at UPDC both came with black decks in tow. I can bet Eegag will continue to harness the power of the Swamp in his quest to repeat his UPDC 2.03 victory -- maybe next time with a deck that is worth a damn.

6. this_guy_dan -

7. 53N531 -

8. Boin -

9. Kingritz -

10. White_djinn -

(Next week, we'll start using Kehmesis' more cutthroat system for Power Rankings, where T8 appearances matter more than Season Points. Start winning or lose major ground!)