For the longest time in Standard, the word ‘Gruul’ has been synonymous with blazing-fast Aggro decks. These lists running cheap Prowess creatures and combat tricks have long dominated the format, and continue to do so to an extent. Thanks to Aetherdrift, however, it seems the color pair may be ready to move in a new direction. Just yesterday, a powerful Gruul Midrange list took down a Standard League in MTG Online.
By slowing things down and playing bulkier threats, this new deck attacks on a completely different axis from its Aggro cousins. It also manages to include a number of unusual card choices, including Aetherdrift’s Chandra, Spark Hunter. It’s great to see the set’s premiere planeswalker get her time in the spotlight, and it’s even better to see a Gruul deck that doesn’t aim to end the game by turn four.
Gruul Midrange In MTG Standard
The Gruul Midrange deck in question comes to us via neb12r, who piloted it to a 5-0 finish in a Standard League on MTG Online yesterday. One quick glance at the list is enough to tell you that this plays very differently from the Gruul lists we’ve come to expect. First of all, there’s a good amount of ramp going on here. Llanowar Elves kicks things off on one, and Tender Wildguide keeps it going on two.
Ramping early in the game lets neb12r drop value-generating threats on turn two or three. Specifically, Sentinel of the Nameless City and Bristlebud Farmer. Both do something when they enter and attack, and both can generate the card advantage necessary to play a grindy game. They also both have great stats for their respective costs. Overall, these bulky bois are the heart of the deck.
So far we’ve seen plenty of green cards but no red at all, which is pretty unusual for a Gruul deck. Turns out neb12r was just saving all the red for the deck’s noncreature suite. Torch the Tower and Burst Lightning serve as cheap removal spells here, giving the list some game against Heartfire Hero and the like. Burst Lightning can also serve as a very reasonable finisher once you have five mana online to pay for the Kicker.
Speaking of reactive cards, neb12r also runs both Pawpatch Formation and Obstinate Baloth in this list. Baloth has become a bit of a green staple in the current Hopeless Nightmare-heavy meta, and it does well here for the same reason. Formation is a bit more of a multi-tool, dealing with either enchantments or fliers and drawing you a card when neither is an issue.
Vehicles Of Destruction
What really makes neb12r’s list stand out, is its inclusion of a Vehicle package. In addition to three copies of Lumbering Worldwagon, this Gruul Midrange deck also includes a full playset of Chandra, Spark Hunter, effectively marking its debut in MTG Standard.
These two cards play incredibly well together and with the rest of the deck. Lumbering Worldwagon is another ramp piece, putting a basic into play when it enters or attacks. Granted the former can be difficult due to the steep Crew cost of four, but Chandra helps a lot in this regard. Her passive ability lets you Crew Worldwagon for free each turn, which turns the card into a big hasty beatstick that thins your deck with every swing. The two even curve right into each other, which makes for some devastating early turns with the right draws.
Beyond her synergy with Worldwagon, Chandra has a lot more to offer the deck. Her +2 ability is a great way to make use of any spare Food and Map tokens you have lying around or just a way to loot if you’re digging for an answer. Her 0 can also pump out a constant stream of 3/2 Vehicles, which is ideal for capitalizing on a tapped-out opponent.
Rounding out the deck with a nice flavor win, neb12r also includes two copies of Chandra’s in-story beau Nissa, Ascended Animist. This is a great outlet for all of the lands and mana the deck builds up over the game, and a potential Craterhoof Behemoth effect if you manage to build a wide board. It’s a solid finisher and, like much of this deck, has the flexibility to be relevant both early and late.
Slow And Steady
Overall neb12r’s Gruul Midrange is an incredibly solid list, and its performance in yesterday’s MTG Online Standard League reflects that. A 5-0 sweep is hardly enough to prove that a new meta player is in town, but it’s a pretty solid start. In a Twitter post celebrating their record, neb12r went into some detail on specific matchups for the deck.
“UW Control feels unfavored and Jeskai Convoke is unwinnable, Domain and Pixie feel easy, and everything else is in that nice midrange place where you have game.”
neb12r (AzoriusI on Twitter)
There’s a pretty wide spread of results here. The fact that this deck performs poorly against Azorius Control and Jeskai Convoke isn’t super-surprising. Control decks have always been favored against Midrange, and Jeskai is essentially another Midrange deck with more explosive early potential. Fortunately, these are both fairly low-tier decks with small meta shares at the moment.
The deck’s good matchups, on the other hand, are much more prevalent. Neb12r cites both Domain and Pixie as “easy” matchups in their post, which is fortunate given both are tier one decks with significant meta shares. According to MTG Decks, the two decks together make up over 22% of the current Standard field.
Based on this admittedly limited data, it looks like Gruul Midrange is in a good position right now. Its bad matchups are against niche decks, and its good matchups are against tier one terrors. Neb12r notes that you “have game” with the deck against everything else, which means the likes of Gruul Aggro and Dimir Midrange should be fair games, too.
One League victory isn’t enough to prove an archetype’s viability, but if neb12r’s analysis is correct then Gruul Midrange could be a promising new contender. Given that we’re just one week out from Tarkir: Dragonstorm previews, it’s encouraging to see new Standard innovations like this.
