Chaos Wins!

With the wrap of Pro Tour San-Juan we can finally take a look at the top performing block constructed decks at the tournament. The results show a dynamic field with plenty of options and play styles.

A Complete list of the top Zendikar block constructed lists from Pro Tour-San Juan can be found here:

Additional deck list analysis from Chaos Wins! can be found here and here.

The top performers and deck archetypes that reveled themselves in the constructed portion of the event are outlined below.

Mono Green Ascension

Land

1 Dread Statuary
13 Forest
4 Khalni Garden
4 Misty Rainforest
2 Verdant Catacombs

Creatures
4 Arbor Elf
4 Joraga Treespeaker
4 Kozilek's Predator
4 Lotus Cobra
4 Nest Invader
1 River Boa
4 Vengevine
4 Wolfbriar Elemental

Spells

3 Beastmaster Ascension
4 Eldrazi Monument

Sideboard

1 Beastmaster Ascension
1 Forest
2 Gigantiform
4 Leatherback Baloth
2 Naturalize
2 River Boa
3 Tajuru Preserver

This deck was all over the top of the Swiss at Pro Tour-San Juan. It's a straightforward deck with efficient green beaters, mana ramp, and then augmentation spells that make them gargantuan, indestructible and/or flying.

I like how this decklist can quickly ramp out to 4 mana and beyond and flood the battlefield with creatures before finishing with a bang. Leatherback Baloth out of the board can foil decks with lighter creatures. River Boa punishes blue. It's a surprisingly simple deck that can just generate enormous threats very quickly and overwhelm an opponent trying to develop their defenses.

Red Deck Wins

Land

4 Arid Mesa
11 Mountain
4 Scalding Tarn
1 Smoldering Spires
4 Teetering Peaks

Creatures

4 Goblin Bushwhacker
4 Goblin Guide
4 Kargan Dragonlord
4 Plated Geopede

Spells

4 Burst Lightning
4 Devastating Summons
4 Searing Blaze
4 Staggershock
4 Zektar Shrine Expedition

Sideboard

4 Goblin Ruinblaster
2 Kitesail
1 Mark of Mutiny
4 Punishing Fire
4 Tuktuk the Explorer

This one didn't perform as well as ascension did, but it was just as prevalent. Nothing fancy here. Just quick goblins backed by burn and late reach spells to finish. I found Kitesail to be an interesting if inelegant sideboard choice (but apparently effective). Ruinblasters are boarded in to foil control decks.

UW Planeswalkers

Land

4 Celestial Colonnade
1 Evolving Wilds
6 Island
6 Plains
2 Scalding Tarn
4 Sejiri Refuge
4 Tectonic Edge

Creatures

4 Sphinx of Lost Truths
4 Wall of Omens

Spells

4 Cancel
3 Day of Judgment
2 Everflowing Chalice
4 Gideon Jura
1 Into the Roil
4 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
4 Journey to Nowhere
3 Spell Pierce

Sideboard

1 Day of Judgment
2 Deprive
4 Kor Firewalker
3 Kor Sanctifiers
3 Luminarch Ascension
2 Vapor Snare

This is your gold plated control deck. Pretty standard UW fare here. Permission spells, Wrath of God board sweeping, card draw and library manipulation and then fat finishers late game. Reminds me of "The Deck" by Brian Weismann played way back in 1996.

An assortment of hate comes out of the board. Kor Firewalker stifles Red Deck Wins. Luminarch ascension for the mirror. Vapor Snare is standard fare against quality creature decks.

UG Ramp

Land

1 Evolving Wilds
6 Forest
5 Island
3 Khalni Garden
4 Misty Rainforest
2 Scalding Tarn
4 Verdant Catacombs

Creatures

4 Joraga Treespeaker
4 Lotus Cobra
4 Nest Invader
3 River Boa
4 Vengevine
4 Wolfbriar Elemental

Spells

2 Eldrazi Monument
2 Into the Roil
4 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
4 Unified Will

Sideboard

3 Deprive
4 Narcolepsy
2 Paralyzing Grasp
1 Pelakka Wurm
2 Tajuru Preserver
3 Vapor Snare

UG Ramp was also very successful. A simplified if potentially more efficient version of the RUG deck while slightly more complex than mono green ascension. It combined quality green creatures with permission spells and Jace for card draw and library manipulation effects. Additional creature control elements come in from the board including the powerful Vapor Snare to beat down the mono green variant on this deck.

Vampires

Land

4 Marsh Flats
15 Swamp
2 Tectonic Edge
4 Verdant Catacombs

Creatures

4 Bloodghast
4 Gatekeeper of Malakir
4 Kalastria Highborn
4 Malakir Bloodwitch
4 Vampire Hexmage
4 Vampire Nighthawk

Spells

2 Grim Discovery
4 Inquisition of Kozilek
3 Mind Sludge
2 Urge to Feed

Sideboard

3 Consuming Vapors
4 Contaminated Ground
2 Hideous End
1 Mind Sludge
3 Smother
2 Tectonic Edge

Vampires didn't get a whole lot of help from Rise of Eldrazi, but it still had a presence in the field because it had so much power from Zendikar and Worldwake. There were several variations on the theme, but the above incarnation created by Lukas Jaklovsky was one of the most successful.

The deck uses efficient black vampires and quality black removal. Mind sludge, if not countered, usually means game over if board position is established. Vampires was a force pre Eldrazi and it's good to see that it's still viable in this format.

That's a good look at the competitive decks in this block constructed format. A good mix of mono colored creature rush and multi colored control variants. Zendikar block constructed will be a healthy format for casual kitchen table play for years to come.

Pro Tour-San Juan has concluded and the winner is Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa behind the strength of a strong top 8 draft and his RUG deck. You can find full coverage of the event here.

RUG was a force for this pro-tour and it captured a number of victories in the block constructed portion of the tournament. It took several players to day two and it took 2 players to the top 8 draft.

Here is a look at the deck:

RUG

Creatures

2 Avenger of Zendikar
3 Goblin Ruinblaster
4 Lotus Cobra
3 Oracle of Mul Daya
2 Sphinx of Lost Truths

Spells

4 Burst Lightning
2 Comet Storm
2 Depirve
4 Explore
2 Flame Slash
4 Jace, the Mind Sculptor

Land

1 Evolving Wilds
3 Forest
4 Island
3 Mountain
3 Halimar Depths
2 Kazandu Refuge
4 Misty Rainforest
4 Raging Ravine
4 Scalding Tarn

Sideboard

1 Cuning Sparkmage
1 Deprive
2 Flame Slash
1 Forked Bolt
1 Goblin Ruinblaster
1 Hellkite Charger
1 Mold Shambler
1 Rampaging Baloths
2 Searing Blaze
2 Spell Pierce
2 Vapor Snare

The deck combines mana acceleration with the most powerful card in the format: Jace, the Mind Sculptor. An early Jace can take over the game with library manipulation and card draw setting up removal and permission before building up the mana base to drop finishing bombs like Sphinx of Lost Truths or an Avenger of Zendikar.

Josh Utter-Leyton also made the top 8 with the same deck. He breaks down the list further here:



Congratulations to Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa and rest of the finalists at Pro Tour-San Juan!

Pro Tour San Juan is underway. The format is Zendikar block constructed and ROE draft. Some early looks at the tournament have an interesting leader-board. You can read about full coverage of the event over at WOTC's site here.

More information will be revealed as the weekend progresses. But I found some of the early coverage of the block constructed portion of the tourney interesting. Travis Woo's deck was featured in a deck tech session below:



Travis's deck led him to a 4-1 record during the constructed rounds.


Red/Green Land Destruction

Creatures

4 Nest Invader
4 Lotus Cobra
4 Overgrown Battlement
4 Hellkite Charger
4 Goblin Ruinblast
4 Lodestone Golem
4 Vengevine

Spells

4 Roiling Terrain
2 Burst Lightning
2 Everflowing Chalice

Land

4 Kazandu Refuge
4 Raging Ravine
3 Misty Rainforest
3 Scalding Tarn
5 Forest
5 Mountain

Sideboard

4 Cunning Sparkmage
4 Staggershock
2 Burst Lightning
3 Flame Slash
2 Tajaru Preserver

Pretty interesting take on an old favorite. Burn, Fatties, and Landkill. We'll see how Travis does on day 2.

So it's time for more sealed deck madness. Opened up my six packs and was fairly disappointed with what I got. However, I was able to throw together two mediocre decks. Here is the card pool:

Blue

Crab Umbra (U)
Aura Finesse
Distortion Strike
Fleeting Distraction
See Beyond
Halimar Wavewatch
Merfolk Observer
Eel Umbra x2
Frostwind Invoker x2
Champion's Drake
Drake Umbra (U)
Regress
Narcolepsy
Guard Gomazoa (U)
Sphinx of Magosi (R)

Black

Perish the Thought
Shrivel
Death Cultist
Nighthaze
Induce Despair
Bala Ged Scorpion
Cadaver Imp
Vendetta
Arrogant Broodlord (U)
Bloodright Invoker
Zulaport Enforcer
Corpsehatch (U)
Suffer the Past (U)

Artifact, Colorless, Multicolor, Land

Reinforced Bulwark
Not of this World (U)
Hand of Emrakul
Sarkhan the Mad (M)
Eldrazi Temple (R)

Red

Lust for War (U)
Brood Birthing
Fissure Vent
Raid Bombardment
Spawning Breath x2
Rapacious One (U)
Disaster Radius (R)
Staggershock
Kiln Fiend
Grotag Siege-Runner
Ogre Sentry
Lagac Lizard
Vent Sentinel x2
Valakut Fireboar (U)
Aloum Boulderfoot (U)
Goblin Arsonist

Green

Ancient Stirrings
Gravity Well (U)
Realms Uncharted (R)
Nema Siltluker
Bramblesnap (U)
Spider Umbra
Overgrown Battlement
Kazandu Tuskcaller (R)
Kozilek's Predator
Stomper Cub x2
Might of the Masses
Boar Umbra (U)
Sporecap Spider
Ondu Giant

White

Wall of Omens (U)
Dawnglare Invoker
Makindi Griffin
Mammoth Umbra (U)
Lone Missionary
Affa Guard Hound (U) x2
Caravan Escort
Eland Umbra
Guard Duty
Stalwart Shield-Bearers
Demystify
Glory Seeker
Totem-Guide Hartebeest
Repel the Darkness x2

At first pass, I felt that I could try to build a deck around Sarkhan the Mad. I had a "bomb" in Sarkhan and I had some decent removal in Corpsehatch, Induce Despair, Vendetta, and Staggershock. I also had a decent amount of Red creatures. Therefore, I put together the following deck:

Sealed (RB) Sarkhan's Disaster

Spells

Corpsehatch (U)
Suffer the Past (U)
Induce Despair
Vendetta
Spawning Breath
Disaster Radius (R)
Staggershock
Sarkhan the Mad (M)

Creatures

Bloodright Invoker
Bala Ged Scorpion
Arrogant Bloodlord (U)
Cadaver Imp
Zulaport Enforcer
Vent Sentinel x2
Kiln Fiend
Ogre Sentry
Lagac Lizard
Grotag Siege-Runner
Valakut Fireboar (U)
Rapacious One (U)
Goblin Arsonist
Akoum Boulderfoot (U)

Land

8 Swamps
9 Mountains

After a few games, my naivety of the block and format showed through. What I found was that this deck didn't have much in teh way of breaking through many of the extremely large creatures available in Rise of Eldrazi. I was finding myself running into opponents with bigger creatures and better removal. The lack of having large creatures myself made cards like Disaster Radius and Induce Despair not very useful.

I took another look at the card pool and thought that I could build a deck using some of the other "good in limited" cards I had, namely the umbras, the Sphinx of Magosi, and Kazandu Tuskcaller. This deck would have almost no removal, with Narcolepsy, Regress, and Might of the Masses being the few ways deal with opponent creatures, and even then in a very limited way. However, I noticed it was strong in evasion. If I could get out a few key fliers with an umbra or two, I could hit my opponent hard enough and fast enough to get them before they got too strong. The umbras not only buffed my creatures, but also made them more resilient. The ratio of spells to creatures was not to my liking, but I had to play with the cards I was given, so the I created the following:

Sealed (UGw) Umbra Evasion Deck

Spells

Mammoth Umbra (U)
Boar Umbra (U)
Drake Umbra (U)
Spider Umbra
Eel Umbra x2
Regress
See Beyond
Narcolepsy
Might of the Masses

Creatures

Kazandu Tuskcaller (R)
Sphinx of Magosi (R)
Bramblesnap (U)
Guard Gomazoa (U)
Sporecap Spider
Overgrown Battlement
Dawnglare Invoker
Ondu Giant
Kozilek's Predator
Stomper Cub x2
Frostwind Invoker x2

Land
8 Forest
9 Island
1 Plain

While slow, the second deck proved to be a better option in this format against my opponents. This deck was good enough to stop KevinNash's Sealed Thought Gourger deck, and proved competitive against another friends sealed Black/Green Momentous Fall deck. I lost more often than won against the Momentous Fall deck, but he had great combos and great cards. There is probably a Blue/Red or a Red/Green floating in the above card pool that could be even better, but for now its time to move on to a new card pool.