Yesterday, Pro Tour Aetherdrift kicked off at MagicCon: Chicago, showcasing fierce competition on MTG’s biggest stage. As you might expect, top tier Standard decks like Esper Pixie and Gruul Prowess were very heavily represented at the event. Yet, after eight rounds, neither of these decks stood atop the standings.
Two players managed to finish day one of the Pro Tour with perfect 8-0 records. Matt Nass accomplished this feat piloting Domain. The other player, Ben Stark, managed to go undefeated with a very unique Orzhov control deck.
This shell does feature some overlap with Esper Pixie, but the control elements that make it easier to take over the late game separate this deck from any other popular archetype in Standard. Following an elite performance on day one, it’s only fair that this emerging strategy gets the recognition it deserves.
Pixie Crossover
- Mana Value: B
- Rarity: Common
- Card Type: Enchantment
- MTG Sets: Wilds of Eldraine
- Card Text: When Hopeless Nightmare enters the battlefield, each opponent discards a card and loses 2 life. When Hopeless Nightmare is put into a graveyard from the battlefield, scry 2. 2B: Sacrifice Hopeless Nightmare.
While you won’t find any copies of Stormchaser’s Talent here, there are a handful of cards with enters-the-battlefield effects that do make an appearance. Hopeless Nightmare being one of them is no surprise.
Hopeless Nightmare is a solid card at simply whittling down your opponent’s resources. The life loss starts to play a factor, too, when you can replay it over and over with Nurturing Pixie.
Another interesting omission from this decklist is Nowhere to Run. Instead, Ben Stark opted for playsets of the more efficient Grim Bauble and more versatile Momentum Breaker. Grim Bauble costing one mana is a huge deal, helping you keep pace with Gruul Prowess. Meanwhile, Momentum Breaker lines up much better against beefier threats like Zur, Eternal Schemer and Preacher of the Schism.
The Role of Temporary Lockdown
- Mana Value: 1WW
- Rarity: Rare
- Card Type: Enchantment
- MTG Sets: Dominaria United
- Card Text: When Temporary Lockdown enters the battlefield, exile each nonland permanent with mana value 2 or less until Temporary Lockdown leaves the battlefield.
Where this deck really starts to differentiate itself from traditional Esper Pixie decklists is with the inclusion of four copies of Temporary Lockdown in the maindeck. Temporary Lockdown is often utilized as a sideboard card in slower decks.
Being able to sweep away small creatures, Offspring tokens, and Innkeeper’s Talent all at once against Gruul can singlehandedly swing a game in your favor. It also works nicely against some of Esper Pixie’s explosive draws. Nearly every creature and enchantment in the deck costs two or less mana, and This Town Ain’t Big Enough is not a permanent answer to Temporary Lockdown.
Still, seeing a full playset in the maindeck is quite unusual. That is, until you factor in the synergies available with it.
See, what’s nice about Temporary Lockdown in this shell is that it also sweeps away your copies of Hopeless Nightmare, Grim Bauble, Momentum Breaker, and Nurturing Pixie. This means that even if the opponent is able to blow up Temporary Lockdown, they’re likely to lose some of their resources in the process.
Above all, Nurturing Pixie has the ability to bounce Temporary Lockdown back to your hand and let you recast it. Even if your Gruul Prowess or Esper Pixie opponent is able to rebuild, this play can be absolutely devastating. The more copies of Hopeless Nightmare that keep reentering the battlefield, the better, as your opponent will continue to lose life.
Control Elements
- Mana Value: 1W
- Rarity: Rare
- Card Type: Instant
- MTG Sets: The Lost Caverns of Ixalan
- Card Text: Destroy target creature, enchantment, or planeswalker. Its controller creates two Map tokens. (They’re artifacts with “1, Tap, Sacrifice this artifact: Target creature you control explores. Activate only as a sorcery.”)
The rest of the deck is made up of controlling cards and ways to pull ahead in the late game. In the removal suite, Get Lost is an excellent card in this deck. It successfully answers any threat and can even deal with a Leyline Binding out of Domain. The Map tokens are of minimal concern, especially if you can follow up with Temporary Lockdown.
Liliana of the Veil is another card that is capable of removing big haymakers. Alongside Hopeless Nightmare, the opponent will run out of cards in hand in no time if Liliana sticks around.
Sure, you’re discarding cards as well, but once you find Unholy Annex/Ritual Chamber, winning the resource battle is trivial. Unholy Annex is a great source of card advantage, and the 6/6 Demon you generate with Ritual Chamber is enough to shut the door in many matchups.
A Strong Metacall
- Mana Value: U
- Rarity: Rare
- Card Type: Enchantment – Class
- MTG Sets: Bloomburrow
- Card Text: (Gain the next level as a sorcery to add its ability.)
When Stormchaser’s Talent enters, create a 1/1 blue and red Otter creature token with prowess.
3U: Level 2 | When this Class becomes level 2, return target instant or sorcery card from your graveyard to your hand.
5U: Level 3 | Whenever you cast an instant or sorcery spell, create a 1/1 blue and red Otter creature token with prowess.
Going undefeated on the first day of play at Pro Tour Aetherdrift is quite the performance, especially with a deck that wasn’t on most players’ radars. This deck isn’t exactly foolproof. The lack of pressure this deck presents can certainly be problematic versus combo archetypes like Azorius Omniscience.
Given the metagame at Pro Tour Aetherdrift, however, Orzhov control seems like an excellent choice. The Temporary Lockdown strategy is great against Esper Pixie and Gruul Prowess, which were the two most played decks in day one. At the same time, the resource denial plan Orzhov control utilizes gives you a great shot versus Dimir and Golgari midrange.
You do have cards like Grim Bauble that line up quite poorly versus Domain. Luckily, Ben Stark came prepared with a full playset of Loran of the Third Path to help improve the matchup. Rest in Peace out of the sideboard makes the Azorius Oculus matchup much more manageable, which is important, too.
Day Two of Pro Tour Aetherdrift is going on right now, so make sure to check in and see how Orzhov control finishes up.