Since last week’s ban announcement, we’ve seen a multitude of strategies have success in Standard. Obviously, Dimir midrange is a force to be reckoned with, but decks like Boros Convoke, mono-white token control, and even Izzet Prowess are still having a big impact in the metagame.
On top of that, the bans helped give rise to some innovative strategies that may have been too slow to keep up with the red decks. Take this five-color Niv shell that Robert Taylor won a Store Championship with.
This deck can dominate the late game, and in a field full of midrange decks, is in a reasonable metagame position. For anyone looking to play something unique and still have a chance to win that pricy City of Brass Store Championship promo, look no further.
Taking Over the Late Game
The main goal behind this five-color pile is to maximize the power of Niv-Mizzet, Supreme. Nearly every card here is exactly two colors, making it trivial to generate value over time with the potent five-drop.
Unlike Niv-Mizzet Reborn, the engine behind the Niv to Light decks in Pioneer, Niv-Mizzet, Supreme doesn’t have an enters-the-battlefield trigger to pull you ahead. Instead, what you get is access to consistent fuel in the late game.
Every time you draw a land or mediocre spell with Niv-Mizzet, Supreme out, you can discard it to cast a spell from your graveyard via Jump-Start. This gives you a great sense of inevitability.
Ill-Timed Explosion can be used to stabilize the board, and once you’re in the driver’s seat, you can choose to cast it just to pull ahead on cards and have extra fuel for Jump-Start. Eventually, casting Atraxa, Grand Unifier or Kaya, Intangible Slayer will enable you to close games.
While this archetype is clearly reliant on Niv-Mizzet Supreme as an engine, what’s nice is that once it’s in play, it isn’t the easiest to get off the board. Hexproof from mono-colored means that traditional removal spells from most of the top decks won’t cut it.
Dimir midrange has access to Sheoldred’s Edict in small quantities and Golgari midrange has Maelstrom Pulse to be weary of. For the most part, though, the popular black midrange and Izzet Vivi shells will have trouble contending with your beefy flier once it sticks. With nine Surveil lands present, you have a lot of agency over your draws, and you’ll be able to find Niv eventually.
Interaction
In order to get to the point where you’re recasting spells with Niv, you need to be able to buy yourself time. This means you need a high density of interaction for your opponent’s early plays.
In the two-mana slot, No More Lies and Lightning Helix are your go-to options. No More Lies serves an important role, countering problematic cards like Unholy Annex. Lightning Helix is your strongest card against aggro strategies. The life gain buffer puts it over the top, especially when you’re able to cast it again from your graveyard via Niv.
At three and four mana, you’ll find some less efficient but more versatile pieces of disruption. Legions to Ashes and Urgent Necropsy ensure that Kaito, Bane of Nightmares can’t sneak in and run away with the game.
Finally, we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention the role of Ancient Cornucopia. Ancient Cornucopia is the perfect ramp piece for this strategy. Thanks to the plethora of multicolored cards present, you’re bound to gain a ton of life as the game progresses.
Accelerating into Niv and gaining five life in the process is the dream. Hard-casting Atraxa gets a lot easier with Cornucopia in the mix, as does playing your cards across all five colors in a reasonable time frame. Your manabase is far from perfect in a Standard setting. You also play a high density of tapped lands. Ancient Cornucopia helps rectify these issues.
A Fun Option
All in all, five-color Niv is far from a perfect deck. It isn’t the most consistent. It can have a hard time keeping up with fast starts from Boros Convoke. You also run the risk of getting your big bombs countered and running out of gas.
This is a natural problem for a deck that plays 27 lands and lots of removal. Cavern of Souls is a useful tool at least. You just can’t afford to run too many copies given your intense color requirements for your noncreature spells.
The main reasons for the deck’s sudden surge are that it’s fun and can punish black midrange shells that players have been flocking to. We mentioned that Dimir midrange lacks ways to get Niv off the board.
Well, the deck can’t remove Cornucopia, either, and doesn’t typically play many forms of counter magic to stop Niv or Atraxa from hitting the battlefield. As long as you can stave off early pressure and contain the likes of Kaito and Enduring Curiosity, you’re in reasonable shape. This is easier said than done, though. There’s a reason why Dimir midrange is such a powerful deck choice.
Even if five-color Niv is far from a top tier strategy, if you expect a lot of midrange decks at your Store Championship and feel like bringing an off-the-wall archetype that players aren’t prepared for, consider giving this a whirl. That City of Brass winner’s promo is worth a ton, so why not try to win it in style!
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