Friday Night Magic recap for April 24

Welcome back to another Friday Night Magic recap. We have two new winners this week, so let’s get started with our Standard winner from this week, Austin Blaszak:

Creatures:
4x Sidisi, Brood Tyrant
4x Satyr Wayfinder
4x Courser of Kruphix
4x Sylvan Caryatid
3x Sidisi, Undead Vizier
2x Dragonlord Atarka
2x Tasigur, the Golden Fang
1x Torrent Elemental
1x Doomwake Giant

Spells:
2x Thoughtseize
2x Hero’s Downfall
3x Murderous Cut
2x Bile Blight
2x Whip of Erebos

Land:
3x Forest
2x Swamp
1x Island
3x Temple of Malady
3x Polluted Delta
4x Opulent Palace
2x Frontier Bivouac
1x Yavimaya Coast
3x Llanowar Wastes
1x Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
1x Mana Confluence

Sideboard:
2x Ultimate Price
2x Drown in Sorrow
1x Virulent Plague
2x Duress
2x Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver
2x Negate
1x Dragonlord Silumgar
1x Thoughtseize
1x Disdainful Stroke
1x Treasure Cruise

Austin was running a 4-color Whip of Erebos deck. The aim of the deck is to get creatures into your graveyard early and often using Satyr Wayfinder, Sidisi, Brood Tyrant and Tasigur, the Golden Fang, then bring them right back for a turn with the Whip. Austin’s deck looks to go over the top of other creature decks by running the new Dragonlord Atarka. Dealing 5 damage between your opponent’s creatures and 8 damage to your opponent (while gaining 13 life thanks to the lifelink granted by the Whip) can be enough to cause a huge swing in the course of the game. While Atarka does die to Hero’s Downfall, that’s mitigated a bit by potentially wiping your opponent’s side of the field.

Recently, Dave and Adam’s hosted a Preliminary Pro Tour Qualifier at UBCon on the University at Buffalo’s North Campus. Our winner of that event was Andrew Skorik and his Atarka Red deck:
Lands:
4x Wooded Foothills
1x Temple of Abandon
3x Mana Confluence
1x Forest
11x Mountain

Creatures:
4x Foundry Street Denizen
2x Goblin Rabblemaster
2x Lightning Berserker
4x Monastery Swiftspear
3x Zurgo Bellstriker

Spells:
4x Dragon Fodder
4x Hordeling Outburst
4x Atarka’s Command
1x Become Immense
4x Stoke the Flames
4x Wild Slash

Sideboard:
3x Eidolon of the Great Revel
2x Goblin Heelcutter
3x Roast
2x Destructive Revelry
2x Searing Blood
1x Hall of Triumph

Atarka Red is essentially a mono-red deck splashing green and is named after the new card from Dragons of Tarkir, Atarka’s Command. Atarka’s Command is capable of doing large swaths of damage from seemingly nowhere. Being able to curve Foundry Street Denizen into another creature or two into Hordeling Outburst, followed up by an Atarka’s Command, means your opponent can be dead by as early as turn 4. Now, assuming that your opponent doesn’t have a way to interact with your creatures (or block for that matter) in Standard is unlikely, but against decks with lots of comes-into-play-tapped lands this deck is capable of stealing games out of nowhere with its fast creatures and inexpensive burn spells.
Standard is varied place right now, with many different decks doing well on different weekends. If you want to see for yourself what does well next week come do Dave and Adam’s Friday Night Magic every week at our Transit Road location, and coming soon, our new location near the Eastern Hills Mall.

View of the action during Friday Night Magic at our Williamsville, NY retail store.