Izzet Prowess continues to put up excellent results in Standard. It’s metagame percentage in recent Regional Championships has been rather obscene. This has forced players to either play the deck or heavily adjust their strategies to try to beat the deck.
If you’re looking for a unique shell that can give Prowess decks the fits, we may have the perfect deck for you. A sweet Boros midrange deck with plenty of Prowess hate built in made it all the way to the top four of a 232-player event. This archetype served as a solid metacall in a hostile environment, so let’s dive in and see what it brings to the table.
Anti-Prowess Tech
On the surface, the card choices in this archetype might seem a bit unorthodox. It’s not often you see some of these cards paired together in the same decklist, and some of these choices don’t show up too often in Standard at all. One thing all these cards do have in common, though, is that they match up well versus what Izzet Prowess has going on.
Right off the bat, one thing to notice is that the four main Creatures here don’t get tagged by a one-mana Burst Lightning. Voice of Victory hits hard, and its second ability ensures that you can safely land Sheltered by Ghosts without getting blown out. Importantly, Sheltered by Ghosts and Loran of the Third Path can answer a Cori-Steel Cutter on the spot, which is the best path to victory for the Prowess decks.
The other two-drop, Magebane Lizard, typically shows up in Standard and Pioneer as a sideboard card. Yet, given the volume of Izzet Prowess decks running around, playing the hate card in the maindeck isn’t unreasonable.
It’s tough to kill, is a decent blocker, and matches up well versus all the cantrips Izzet Prowess has to offer. If your opponent wants to cast a flurry of spells to pump a squad of Prowess threats and trigger Cori-Steel Cutter, they’ll also take a bunch of damage in the process.
Considering that most removal spells out of Izzet Prowess or mono-red aggro are damage-based, it makes sense to see a full playset of Screaming Nemesis in the mix, too. Even against the non-red decks, curving Voice of Victory into Screaming Nemesis puts a lot of pressure on the opponent early. The anti-life gain clause only makes the damage that builds up from Magebane Lizard and burn spells scarier.
Speaking of burn spells, both Burst Lightning and Lightning Helix help keep the pressure on and double as cheap removal spells versus the red decks. Between Lightning Helix and Sheltered by Ghosts, you have plenty of ways to keep your life total high.
Grinding Through Removal
Naturally, while cards like Magebane Lizard and Screaming Nemesis shine against the red decks, you do need some ways to out-grind the midrange decks of the format. Your small Creatures easily die to the black removal spells of the format, and your burn spells won’t win the game on their own if your Creatures get answered.
This is where your top end elements come into play. In the four-mana slot, Bruse Tarl, Roving Rancher is a nice value engine. If your opponent can kill it right away, you still get some card advantage or a 2/2 out of the deal. If the opponent can’t kill it, Bruse Tarl will run away with the game over time.
Bruse Tarl hasn’t seen much play in Tarkir: Dragonstorm Standard. Regardless, the fact that it’s a tough threat for the Prowess decks to remove and generates value in grindy matchups makes it a solid inclusion.
Your best card versus any midrange deck, though, is undoubtedly Elspeth, Storm Slayer. Elspeth does everything you want. Its +1 ability gives you multiple Creatures right away. Its 0 ability lets you attack past any burly blocker, and its -3 ability ensures that you can get rid of a problematic Creature, like Sheoldred, the Apocalypse.
Additionally, Elspeth has some added synergies with both Voice of Victory and Bruse Tarl. With Voice in play, Elspeth is guaranteed to resolve. Then, when you attack, you’ll get four 1/1 Warriors attacking your opponent instead of two. Similarly, if you attack with Bruse Tarl and exile a Land, you’ll get two Oxen for your troubles.
Beyond Bruse Tarl and Elspeth, both Soulstone Sanctuary and Cori Mountain Monastery give you ways to spend your mana in the late game. The presence of utility Lands allows you to play a lot of Lands (26 to be exact). You won’t succumb to mana screw as often, and in the event you flood, you’ll still have things to do.
A Brutal Format
Ultimately, this deck’s incredible performance in the Magic Online Standard Showcase Challenge speaks volumes about the Standard format as a whole. We’ve already seen players have success utilizing Magebane Lizard as a maindeck hate card, and this deck takes things to the extreme.
The reality is, outside of the Prowess matchup, having Magebane Lizard in the maindeck can be a liability. There are spots where the card will help versus Azorius Omniscience combo and beyond, but it’s far from an elite piece of hate elsewhere.
At the same time, though, playing this deck the way it’s constructed gives you a big edge against Prowess, which makes up a huge percentage of the field. Voice of Victory and Screaming Nemesis go a long way in helping you beat the control decks of the format, so you aren’t just cold to the rest of the field.
Even with decks packing all this hate, though, Izzet Prowess continues to thrive. Perhaps the release of Final Fantasy MTG will bring some changes. For now, consider giving this deck a shot if you’re tired of losing to Prowess.
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