Moody Brews: Abzan Midrange

Hi, I am Michael Moody, and welcome to Moody Brews, where we talk about decks that are popular among the meta for a format and show the different options for cards that players use. Today we will be talking about the Pioneer format and the G/Bx Midrange archetype in the flavor of Abzan.

Let’s start by looking at the stock list for both G/Bx and Abzan to get a better idea of what the shell of this deck looks like:

Now let’s break it down into a few parts: The Core, The Splash, and The Spice.

The Core

In this section, we are going to talk about the must-have cards in this particular archetype. We are going to break it down even further: The Spells, The Creatures, The Walkers, and the most important part of it all The Mana Base.

The Spells

Thoughtsieze: Thoughtseize is considered by most to be the best hand disruption spell in Magic’s history. The ability to preemptively remove win conditions, combo pieces, or troublesome permanents cannot be understated. While the 2 life lost can be an issue against hyper-aggressive decks such as Red Deck Wins for most match-ups this is not an issue.

Recommended Number: 4 

Assassin’s Trophy: The premium removal spell in the format, it can answer just about any problem permanent in play. Giving your opponent a land can sometimes be a bad choice, be aware of what your opponent may play afterward if you give them lands to play!

Recommended Number: 2-4

Abrupt Decay: While the uncounterable nature of Abrupt Decay is fantastic, this has seen a decline since the banning of Oko, Thief of Crowns. However, do not let this deceive you, the guaranteed nature of Abrupt Decay can deal with most low-cost permanents. (looking at you Teferi, Time Raveler!) This makes Abrupt Decay nearly unmatched in efficiency and flexibility in the early to mid-game. 

Recommended Number: 2-3

Fatal Push: The most common creature removal spell. With the low, low cost of 1 mana Fatal Push removes nearly every early game threat in the format. With the absence of fetch lands (outside Fabled Passage) revolt can be tough for some builds to trigger.

Recommended Number: 2-4 (this depends on how many ways triggering Revolt is in your build)

The Creatures

Courser of Kruphix: This creature is a solid body for 3 mana, having 4 toughness is relevant enough to dodge most red removal spells and block effectively. Also getting lands off the top of your library allows you to draw better cards and the life gain helps in aggressive matchups.

Recommended Number: 2-3

Murderous Rider/ Swift End: A Hero’s Downfall with a 2/3 lifelink body, this card is great at keeping early Planeswalkers and threats off the board. Sometimes it’s just a 2/3 lifelink for 3 which is perfectly fine as well.

Recommended Number: 2

Scavenging Ooze: Lovingly nicknamed Scooze, this ooze has proven it’s worth in multiple formats and Pioneer is no exception. The combination of life gain, a large threat, and incidental graveyard hate makes this one of the most universal cards in GBx strategies. With multiple decks attempting to use the graveyard for creature recursion, delve, or other nefarious ways having a cheap way of stopping those strategies that are good enough for the main deck makes Scooze an auto-include.

Recommended Number: 2-4 

Tireless Tracker: Combining well with Courser of Kruphix and turning all draw in your deck on by making Clues with land drops. This makes Tireless Tracker one of the best threats and card draw engines in GBx. Also synergizing with Vraska, Golgari Queen and Fabled Passage this Human Scout can help you pull ahead against the mirror or control and even help against when you’ve been unfortunate to mulligan to 6 or 5 in your opening hand.

Recommended Number: 2-3

Questing Beast: This awesome keyword soup creature from Thrones of Eldraine has proven itself already to be a big threat. This beast of a card kills Planeswalkers fast and can still block for your own. It also has evasion from those smaller pesky 2 power creatures that roam in this format and kills everything bigger than it. Although being legendary will limit the amount of him you will play.

Recommended Number: 1-2

The Walkers

Liliana, the Last Hope: With an efficient casting cost of just 3, Liliana, the Last Hope is arguably one of the best Planeswalkers in the Pioneer format. A +1 that removes small creatures or shrinks larger creatures to allow better attacks or blocks and a -2 that can return fallen creatures to our hand to be reused givens Liliana the sort of utility that is so often desired in midrange strategies. Also if you manage to get the emblem your opponent has a very difficult time winning the game being buried under the endless horde of 2/2 zombies.

Recommended Number: 2-3

Vraska, Golgari Queen: While a new card, this Planeswalker gives us everything we could ask for from a Planeswalker: Card advantage, life gain, and removal. Vraska, Golgari Queen has earned her place in nearly all GBx shells as a top-end Planeswalker. On top of all of this Vraksa is an additional method of triggering revolt and sacrificing the clues Tireless Tracker generates.

Recommended Numbers: 1-2

The Mana Base

The mana base varies from version to version but it usually include the following:

4 Overgrown Tombs

4 Blooming Marsh

1-2 Hissing Quagmire

2-3 Woodland Cemetery

2 Fabled Passage

The Splash

Now it is time to talk about what you get from splashing white in a deck like this. We are going to break it down the same way as above:

The Spells

Abzan Charm: Modal cards where all options are good for the amount of mana spent usually deserve a spot or 2 in a list like this. The first part hits all the bigger creatures in this format, while 2 cards for 2 life at instant speed is a good rate for this deck, and putting counters on creatures will most likely be the least used option but can be relevant with Siege Rhino or Questing Beast.

Recommended Number: 1-2

Anguished Unmaking: Acts as a good removal spell for the Theros and Amonkhet Gods. (Keranos, God of Storms is usually the biggest nightmare for this deck.) The cost of 3 life is a bit steep but can be negated with cards like Murderous Rider and Siege Rhino.

Recommended Number: 1-2

Declaration in Stone: This is to deal with the smaller creature decks like Elves, or Mono-White Aggro. It works superbly against token strategies.

Recommended Number: 1-2

The Creatures

Siege Rhino: The menace of Khans Standard and Modern Pod decks, he can generate a good amount of value on turn 4 by just draining for 3 points of life, the fact he is a 4/5 trample is just icing on the cake. Although after playing him for a bit he can be underwhelming at times. Questing Beast might be better here. Siege Rhino is still good in aggro matchups though.

Recommended Number: 2-4

Obzedat, Ghost Counsel: This Spectral Counsel functions well as a beater and shores up aggressive match-ups by gaining 2 life every turn for you. The fact it dodges most wrath effects also makes it good against control as well.

Recommended Number: 1-2

Archangel Avacyn: The famed angel does her job extremely well at 5 mana. Being able to flash her in and have a flip side wrath effect that a good portion of your creatures will dodge is always good. Also good at fighting wrath effects like Supreme Verdict.

Recommended Number: 1

Anafenza the Foremost: A big beater for 3 mana that also helps hate the graveyard. It can also grow your other creatures. A very solid card but unfortunately fights with Scavenging Ooze.

Recommended Number: 1

The Walkers

Elspeth, Sun’s Champion: Probably the reason to splash is for this card right here, She can end games by herself. Making 3 Soldiers a turn can be brutal against aggro decks and her -3 can get rid of bigger threats. If she lives for longer than 2 turns you will have most likely have won the game. 6 mana can be expensive but it is worth it for this card.

Recommended Number: 1

Gideon, Ally of Zendikar: A card that defined his Standard, he does just about everything. He can use his -4 immediately as he enters to grow your creatures. He can be the big beater your looking for or he can make tokens to protect himself and your life total.

Recommended Number: 2

Sorin, Solemn Visitor: This card was seen along with Siege Rhino a lot in its heyday, and proved itself to be a useful card. It does decently well against aggro decks by providing a blocker and Lifelink to the team. If you use his -6 against another midrange deck you usually win.

Recommended Number: 1-2

The Mana Base

You will usually add any number of these cards to the Abzan version, I have seen a lot of variants adding the following to their list. The all-star add is the Shambling Vent being a 2/3 Lifelink is good against the aggro matchup.

3 Godless Shrine

2 Isolated Chapel

1-2 Shambling Vent

1-2 Temple Garden

The Spice

In this section, we will talk about cards that are severely underplayed and other options that may have not been explored for this archetype. For this week we will talk about Abzan Mid-range with a token sub-theme/ focus on big Planeswalkers.

This particular list uses the core package of the cards above and uses a token sub-theme to keep a steady flow of value and pressure on the board. This particular deck does well against other mid-range decks and aggro decks. This deck will have a hard time with dealing with spell combo decks like Ral Lotus Storm and Jeskai Ascendancy.

Recommended Number: 3-4

Liliana, Dreadhorde General: Every invasion has got to have a general behind it right? This card a solid 6 mana Planeswalker. Both her +1 and -4 protect herself extremely well. Her static ability will draw you cards in the mid-range or control grind fest. Her -9 will help you win against control decks or other mid-range decks.

Recommended Number: 1

The End Step

Thank you for reading this week’s Moody Brews, any suggestions for what you want to see next week? Comment below and let me spice up your favorite meta deck!