The recent round of Magic: The Gathering Standard bans seems to have been a rare unanimous victory for Wizards. Pretty much everyone is happy that Mono-Red and Izzet have finally been toppled from power. In their place, we’re seeing a lot of exciting deckbuilding innovation in the format. This past weekend, for example, a spicy Orzhov Cage deck made the top eight in an MTG Standard event.
This deck transplants Collector’s Cage from its usual home in Selesnya to more of a Midrange Demon shell. It also includes a couple of new Final Fantasy one-drops to shore things up. The result is a Cage deck less concerned with swarming the board, and more concerned with keeping the card advantage flowing. In the new Midrange metagame we’re currently in, this could be what’s needed to bring the card out of retirement.
Orzhov Cage In MTG Standard
The Orzhov Cage deck in question comes to us via TapitandSacit. As the name suggests, the heart of this deck is a Collector’s Cage package. While initially undervalued during previews, Cage has established a solid niche for itself as a powerful mana cheat engine. It comes down early, buffs up your board, and can power out whatever you hide away with it surprisingly quickly.
Generally, the Selesnya decks built around Cage use Craterhoof Behemoth as the big cheat-out payoff. Orzhov colors don’t allow for that luxury, however, so instead TapitandSacit uses an alternate package of chunky threats.
Overlord of the Mistmoors is an easy pick here. When cheated out, it’s a hugely impressive creature, providing three bodies and two more each subsequent turn. Getting it down early can absolutely win you the game for that reason. The real key to its appeal here, however, is its flexibility. Drawing your big threats in decks like this often feels terrible, but Overlord avoids that issue thanks to Impending. Paying four for two 2/1 Fliers is hardly exciting, but it’s better than having a card stranded in your hand all game.
The other big hitter for Cage is Elspeth, Storm Slayer. It speaks to the low-to-the-ground nature of this deck that one of its ‘big’ spells is a five drop. Nonetheless, Elspeth is incredibly powerful. As a standalone card, it can easily take over the game with constant Soldier tokens and removal, and it even has a built-in finisher move for zero loyalty. Elspeth also plays very nicely with Overlord, if you can land both at once.
Dances With Demons
The above package represents the height of possible achievement for Orzhov Cage in MTG Standard. To reach that point, however, the deck needs some classic Midrange muscle to bridge the gap. Outside of Cage and co., the deck plays like an updated version of the Demons lists we still sometimes see in Standard.
Unholy Annex//Ritual Chamber is the key card here. It offers regular card draw, damage, and even a 6/6 body if you unlock its second side. If you happen to hit it off of Cage, you can choose to cast the Demon side, saving you a nice chunk of mana. It’s not as explosive as the white bombs above, but it’s a nice backup plan.
Demon Wall is mostly in the deck to support Annex, as it’s a cheap Demon you can curve into it easily. It’s also great for stat diversity reasons. To ‘unlock’ Collector’s Cage you need at least three creatures with different powers, and Wall gives you an easy three. Combined with the deck’s new Final Fantasy one-drops, Zack and Cecil, which provide one and two, respectively, it’s easy to get the big guns down from turn four onwards.
The rest of TapitandSacit’s list is pretty much Orzhov Goodstuff. Voice of Victory and Sanguine Evangelist are just very efficient creatures, both of which have token synergy with Elspeth. Evangelist can even turn on Cage in a pinch thanks to its power-boosting Battle Cry, since you can activate Cage at instant speed.
The deck also includes a solid Orzhov removal suite. Cut Down, Go for the Throat, and Get Lost all feature, offering ways to subdue Aggro decks or even the field against other Midrange players.
A New Up-And-Comer?
Overall, TapitandSacit’s Orzhov Cage is an innovative deck for MTG Standard. It combines a classic Midrange shell with explosive potential, creating a list that can win on multiple axes. This deck is also one of the first of its kind. Just one other player has achieved results with it in Saturday’s Standard Challenge. We could well be witnessing the birth of a powerful new archetype here.
Of course, the deck will need to overcome the major players in current Standard first. The top three right now are all Midrange decks: Dimir, Izzet, and Golgari, specifically. All three follow the same core game plan. They play efficient value creatures and use cheap interaction to help win the board and grind out a win.
Two of these decks, Dimir and Golgari, seem like very reasonable matchups for Orzhov Cage. While they play a lot of individually powerful cards, these are also fundamentally fair decks. This means that a big Collector’s Cage play can easily put you well ahead in these matchups, perhaps far enough to win. With your suite of cheap creatures and removal, you can compete in a fair game, too.
Izzet Cauldron is a bit more of a problem. Thanks to the Vivi/Agatha’s Soul Cauldron combo, the deck is capable of explosive plays of its own. It’s also got a fairly aggressive slant to it, with cards like Marauding Mako and Fear of Missing Out opening the doors for early wins. Unless you can land an early Cage play, there’s a good chance Izzet just runs Orzhov Cage over. This may be enough to keep the deck from the spotlight, but only time will tell.
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