It’s now been a few days since a massive ban announcement brought major changes to the Standard format, and the metagame is starting to evolve. Unsurprisingly, Dimir midrange has emerged as an elite option. Other archetypes that were held down by the dominance of the red decks, such as mono-white token control, have also risen in stock considerably.
One of the most interesting developments, though, has been Izzet Prowess’s perseverance. With Cori-Steel Cutter, Monstrous Rage, and This Town Ain’t Big Enough out of the picture, decks built around Stormchaser’s Talent took an enormous hit. Yet, Izzet Talent decks are still making their presences felt. If you thought the archetype was dead, guess again.
A More Controlling Stance
Besides Izzet Cauldron combo, the most popular Izzet variant in Standard at the moment is a more controlling shell than we’re used to seeing. While it’s capable of fast starts involving Stormchaser’s Talent, without Cutter and Rage as support elements, there’s less of an incentive to go down the aggro route.
That being said, Stormchaser’s Talent still plays a crucial role in the deck. The 1/1 token with Prowess is a legitimate threat in a deck with tons of cantrips and often demands a removal spell. Later in the game, utilizing the enchantment to rebuy Stock Up and continue generating absurd amounts of value is a great way to pull ahead.
Even though you don’t have access to This Town as a way to bounce your own copies of Talent, Thundertrap Trainer, and Roaring Furnace, you have a solid replacement in the form of Get Out. Not being able to bounce an opposing permanent does hurt versus aggro decks. Luckily, there aren’t many aggro decks to speak of at the moment.
Instead, you have the luxury of countering opposing creatures and enchantments. Getting to nab Caretaker’s Talent or Sheoldred, the Apocalypse before they hit the board is a big deal in the current metagame.
This version of Izzet has had decent showings in multiple Standard Challenges since the ban announcement. It really goes to show just how strong the core of Talent and Stock Up is, regardless of the supporting cast.
Prowess Isn’t Dead?
While the more controlling Izzet shell is the more popular option at the moment, it should be noted that Izzet aggro isn’t necessarily dead. One player had success utilizing the Talent and Stock Up core alongside Slickshot Show-Off and Astrologian’s Planisphere to apply extra pressure.
You won’t find any copies of Get Out here. Instead, the goal is to use tempo to your advantage. Wild Ride enables some big attacks or bursts of mana with Vivi Ornitier out of nowhere. Meanwhile, Magic Damper helps protect your threats from removal.
This build does line up a bit worse against the black midrange decks that are prepared with lots of cheap interaction, which is likely part of the reason why it isn’t as popular. However, having access to extra threats in the early game does help against the slower control decks that are surging at the moment.
Overall, Izzet is a very resilient archetype that can be constructed in a variety of ways. Make sure you’re prepared.
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