Despite the huge bans back in June, Magic: The Gathering Standard remains a fairly stagnant format. Dimir and Izzet decks rule the roost, with few strategies able to offer any real opposition. While last week’s rotation has, so far, failed to overturn the status quo, it has at least planted the seeds of revolution. Many players are experimenting with new decks, some of which may eventually bloom into top-tier options. Just yesterday, Simic Midrange joined that elite squad of rebels in MTG Standard.
This is an innovative new archetype, not least because it brings the blue/green color combo back to Standard after god knows how long. It also runs some spicy new Edge of Eternities cards, showcasing parts of the set that have mostly flown under the radar so far. While this is a very new archetype in the format, its early results are very encouraging. Maybe that status quo will finally get overturned after all.
Simic Midrange In MTG Standard
Simic Midrange is an exciting addition to MTG Standard, especially because of just how new it actually is. According to MTG Goldfish data, the deck only really came into existence a few days ago. Hamuda took it to a number of solid Challenge finishes, which set the stage for Atticus1806’s 5-0 League list we’ll be looking at today.
The deck is also exciting because of how it straddles the Aggro-Midrange border. There are elements of both archetypes in there, which gives the overall list a unique flavor. It starts off the curve with four Llanowar Elves, as most green Midrange decks do, but it also runs Spyglass Siren and Pawpatch Recruit. With these options, you can set up for either a big play or an aggressive push on turn two.
Recruit also introduces the deck’s main sub-theme: +1/+1 counters. A lot of the cards here either place or take advantage of counters on creatures. Bristly Bill is probably the most obvious example, letting you place a counter with every land drop and offering a late-game mana sink that doubles them all. Bill is a pricey card these days, but it’s hard to think of a better two-drop for this strategy.
Siren, Sentinel of the Nameless City, and Subterranean Schooner also offer +1/+1 counters via Explore. With all of these pieces, you can pretty reliably place multiple counters on the same creature, and this deck is very well set up to do so. Both Recruit and Siren are one drops with evasion, and therefore ideal hosts for counter stacks. Whichever creature you build up, Bushwhack lets you leverage the extra power for removal.
Cutting Edge Tech
To support the +1/+1 counter theme, Atticus1806’s Simic Midrange also runs a couple of newcomers to MTG Standard. Fresh from Edge of Eternities, it adds Genemorph Imago and Ouroboroid.
Imago is about as perfect an addition to this deck as you could ask for. First of all, it’s a Flier, so it makes a great host for counters from your other effects. Second, its Landfall ability plays incredibly well with creatures that already have counters. Since it changes the base stats, not the total stats, of its target, they get the buff along with the extra stats from their counters. Target a Siren with a couple of counters here, and you’ll be swinging in with a meaty 5/5 Flier. Things only get better once you hit six lands, which is totally feasible in a deck like this.
Ouroboroid is another stellar piece for the deck. It puts counters on your entire board each turn, which supports both Imago and Bristly Bill. It’s also a great counter host, too, since the counters it places scale up with its power. The ideal line here is targeting Ouroboroid with Imago’s Landfall ability on its first turn in play to grab three counters per creature. More modest plays, like cracking a Map to buff its power by one, are also very effective, mind you.
These two creatures round out the deck nicely. Early on, you develop small creatures and get some counter engines set up. In the midgame, cards like this propel you to a big, stompy victory. Outside of Bushwhack the deck does lack interaction, but Floodpits Drowner helps a bit in this regard. Otherwise, this is a strategy where you aim to race your opponent with your creatures alone.
Strength Vs. Synergy
What’s really interesting about Simic Midrange is the synergy-driven game plan it brings to MTG Standard. For the longest time, the best Midrange decks in the format have all essentially been “good stuff” piles. Dimir and Golgari Midrange are prime examples.
While Simic Midrange does run some cards purely for their efficiency, like Enduring Curiosity, for the most part, it’s a synergy-focused +1/+1 counters deck. This makes it a breath of fresh air in the current format, and Atticus1806’s 5-0 results prove that it has some real hitting power, too. The question now is whether it’s here to stay, or whether it’s just another post-rotation gimmick that will quickly fade.
In some ways, Simic Midrange is very well-positioned in the current format. Between Recruiter and Surrak, Elusive Hunter, you have a lot of resilience against targeted removal. Most of the top decks right now aren’t running board wipes, which means they’ll have to feed you advantage with their targeted removal spells.
On the other hand, the deck’s reliance on synergy gives it some pretty glaring weaknesses. Building up a creature with multiple counters will let it dodge Torch the Tower, but it also means all your work can be undone with a single Shoot the Sheriff or Into the Flood Maw. The deck can certainly recover via Surrak and Enduring Curiosity, but it can’t just unload a constant stream of good cards in the way Dimir and Golgari can.
Right now, with so few results, the deck’s future is uncertain. It has a lot of room to grow, mind you, so we could well see it break into the metagame properly in the weeks to come.
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