After the first major event post RTR, we have some useful data from the SCG Cincinnati Standard Open.

Things haven't changed...much

Legends


There were several legends that saw played last Saturday.  None more so than Geist of Saint Traft with 41 copies (main and sideboards) in the Top 32 decks.  The one that had the most impact however might have been Olivia Vodaren.  Olivia saw some play after her release in a Grixis (R/U/B) Control deck by Patrick Chapin but fell in to obscurity after the shift to Delver.  Olivia played a key role in Jund Ramp and Control decks changing board states very quickly if she wasn't dealt with.

Another Jace bomb

Planeswalkers

	Top 8	Top 16	Top 32
Jace Architect of Thought	4	11	24
Garruk Relentless	4	6	13
Liliana of the Veil	4	6	7
Vraska	4	4	4
Tamiyo	2	7	16
Jace Memory Adapt	2	5	8
Garruk Primal Hunter	1	2	6
Ajani Caller of the Pride		2	8

Almost every available planeswalker saw play at the SCG Open.  The two that saw the most play in the Top 32 was Jace, Architect of Thought and Tamiyo (including 4 and 2 respectively in the winners list).  The surprise of the event was the 13 copies of Garruk Relentless.  He's been a good planeswalker but never really had a home.  Now he's found several spots.

Who plays this?

Enchantments

	Top 8	Top 16	Top 32
Rancor	8	8	20
Underworld Connections	7	10	13
Dead Weight	5	5	5
Detention Sphere	4	15	32
Crippling Blight	4	4	4
Oblivion Ring	2	4	9
Triumph of Ferocity	2	2	2
Rest in Peace		3	20
Bonds of Fate		3	3
Spectral Flight		2	8
Collective Blessing		1	3

This is an area that there usually not many cards in this category but times are changing.  Detention Sphere being the number one played enchantment isn't a surprise.  Hitting multiple targets at once really gives W/U/x decks some more control against Zombies, Undying, and Tokens.  Seeing Rancor on this list doesn't surprise me at all and neither does Rest in Peace.  Underworld Connections was an amazing sideboard card against control decks as you can tell from the 13 copies in the Top 32.  The odd card on this list?  That would go to Crippling Blight.  Crippling Blight was a M13 card that usually saw play only in limited but Daniel Caskey added it both as a removal spell AND as a card that can keep that creature from blocking.

A 3/1 first strike ramp card

Artifacts

	Top 8	Top 16	Top 32
Rakdos Keyrune	5	5	5
Tormod's Crypt	4	4	9
Selsenya Keyrune		1	1
Grafdigger's Cage		1	1
Staff of Nim		1	1
Pithing Needle			7
Runechanter's Pike			3
Elixir of Immortality			1
Azorius Keyrune			1

There were very few artifacts that were played.  Most of the ones played were the new Keyrunes, Pithing Needles, and Tormod's Crypt.  The odd card in this group is Staff of Nim.  It's a great card that doubles as a card draw and a pinger but it may be too slow overall.

Dreadge?  Don't mind if I do.

Instants

	Top 8	Top 16	Top 32
Golgari Charm	8	8	8
Tragic Slip	6	10	20
Brimstone Volley	5	5	14
Azorius Charm	4	9	25
Think Twice	4	9	19
Searing Spear	4	8	10
Grisly Salvage	4	8	8
Selesnya Charm	3	9	20
Cremate	3	7	7
Victim of Night	3	3	3
Syncopate	2	8	17
Negate	2	8	17
Sundering Growth	2	7	14
Dissipate	2	5	15
Purify the Grave	2	5	9
Abrupt Decay	2	2	5
Naturalize	2	2	2
Ultimate Price	2	2	2
Rakdos Charm	1	3	8
Ray of Revelation	1	2	4
Rootborn Defenses		6	8
Feeling of Dread		5	7
Sphinx's Revelation		4	10
Cyclonic Rift		3	10
Annihilating Fire		3	5
Cloudshift		3	3
Electrickery		3	3
Gnaw to the Bone		1	1
Thought Scour			12
Izzet Charm			6
Faith's Shield			4
Unsummon			3
Counterflux			3
Dispel			3
Midnight Haunting			2
Thoughtflare			2
Vile Rebirth			2
Plummet			2
Desperate Ravings			1
Essence Backlash			1
Redirect			1
Smelt			1
Crushing Vines			1
Erase			1

There were plenty of double digit appearances all over the Top 32.  Azorius Charm, Tragic Slip, and Selesnya Charm all showed up in big numbers.  The surprise of the event?  Grisly Salvage making it all the way to the Finals in Chris Weindinger's Reanimation deck.

Pillar of the Format

Sorcery

	Top 8	Top 16	Top 32
Pillar of Flame	16	24	51
Duress	9	16	17
Dreadbore	9	9	23
Farseek	8	16	20
Sever the Bloodline	7	9	9
Mizzium Mortars	6	8	11
Terminus	4	15	30
Mulch	4	8	8
Unburial Rites	4	8	8
Faithless Looting	4	4	4
Bump in the Night	4	4	4
Supreme Verdict	3	12	23
Entreat the Angels	3	8	12
Lingering Souls	3	7	7
Appetite for Brains	3	6	15
Rakdos's Return	3	3	3
Bonfire of the Damned	2	2	15
Slaughter Games	2	2	6
Blasphemous Act	2	2	4
Rolling Temblor	2	2	2
Revenge of the Hunted	2	2	2
Flames of the Firebrand	1	7	15
Call of the Conclave		4	7
Signed in Blood		4	7
Traitorous Blood		3	3
Temporal Master		2	2
Increased Savagery		2	2
Ranger's Path		1	1
Devil's Play			2
Mark of Mutiny			2

We'll this one isn't a shock.  Actually, its a Pillar of Flame, 51 copies of them to be exact.  If you plan on attacking Zombies and other Undying creatures, Pillar of Flame was where to start.  The second place?  Terminus and rightfully so.  The surprise card from these numbers?  Sever the Bloodline.  I expected more of the card than the 9 copies over the Top 32 decks.  Also, that's a LOT of sorcery speed removal.

Can ya help an werewolf out?

Creatures

	Top 8	Top 16	Top 32
Thragtusk	14	34	51
Geralf's Messenger	12	16	36
Gravecrawler	12	16	36
Falkenrath Aristocrat	8	16	32
Lotleth Troll	8	15	20
Diregraf Ghoul	8	12	32
Rakdos Cackler	8	12	26
Dred Mangler	8	12	19
Huntmaster of the Fells	8	8	10
Blood Artist	7	7	21
Strangleroot Geist	7	7	11
Deathrite Shaman	5	7	9
Centaur Healer	4	13	17
Angel of Serenity	4	13	15
Avacyn's Pilgrim	4	8	20
Arbor Elf	4	8	16
Elite Inquisitor	4	7	11
Sublime Archangel	4	6	16
Loxodon Smiter	4	5	18
Wolfir Avenger	4	4	7
Wolfir Silverheart	4	4	7
Borderland Ranger	3	9	9
Silverblade Paladin	3	7	19
Skirsdag High Priest	3	3	7
Snapcaster Mage	2	7	24
Knight of Infamy	2	2	10
Rhox Faithmender	2	2	2
Vampire Nighthawk	1	1	7
Bloodthrone Vampire	1	1	5
Elderscale Wurm	1	1	1
Restoration Angel		7	19
Armada Wurm		6	8
Knight of Glory		4	19
Champion of the Parish		4	12
Precinct Captain		4	11
War Falcon		4	8
Gatekeeper Vine		4	4
Ash Zealot		4	4
Gore-House Chainwalker		4	4
Vexing Devil		4	4
Augur of Bolas		3	10
Riders of Gavony		3	5
Stonewright		3	3
Zealous Conscripts		2	6
Angel of Glory's Rise		2	2
Nearheath Pilgrim		2	2
Disciple of Bolas		2	2
Clone		1	1
Silklash Spider		1	1
Delver of Secrets			5
Highborn Ghoul			4
Blistercoil Weird			4
Quirion Dryad			4
Dungeon Geists			3
Champion of Lambholt			3
Fiend Hunter			3
Dryad Militant			2
War Priest of Thune			2
Rakdos Shred-Freak			2
Ulvenwald Tracker			1
Deadbridge Goliath			1
Bloodline Keeper			1
Izzet Staticaster			1
Geist-Honored Monk			1

Finally, the beaters of the format.  Wait, you mean neither Geralf's Messanger nor Gravecrawler was the #1 creature?  Nope.  That's right, Thragtusk.  If you plan on trying to stabilize, lifegain and a body (and a second body) sure helps the situation.  The surprise card count on here might be Huntmaster of the Fells.