Good day ladies and gents.  The results from SCG Atlanta are in, and Gatecrash has turned the Standard format on it's ear.  Eddie Walker, from this wonderful site, decided he wanted some spending money, and stormed to the top eight only to lose out to the eventual champion.  Also, as it turns out, Boros Reckoner is the card that was beloved by the masses, and with good reason.  It is an aggressive monster with two excellent abilities... that I completely missed.  Turns out that I did not RTFC, and thought it only dealt damage to players, which while good, is not even close to the board impact that Reckoner provides.  Being able to cleanup the ground and positively interact with Thragtusk is pretty bonkers in Standard.   I normally do not miss really big, and I believe that Boros Reckoner will come down from his lofty climb.  So speculators, I apologize for that one. I missed on him. Now with the pleasantries out of the way, let us take a gander at the winning list from the tournament:

Coming through!

Naya Humans by Joseph Herrera

Critters

4 Avacyn's Pilgrim
4 Champion of the Parish
3 Nearheath Pilgrim
3 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
4 Mayor of Avabruck
3 Frontline Medic
4 Silverblade Paladin
3 Huntmaster of the Fells
3 Restoration Angel

Instant

3 Searing Spear
3 Selesnya Charm

Land

3 Forest
1 Plains
4 Cavern of Souls
3 Clifftop Retreat
2 Kessig Wolf Run
3 Rootbound Crag
1 Sacred Foundry
2 Stomping Ground
4 Temple Garden

Board

2 Centaur Healer
1 Fiend Hunter
1 Zealous Conscripts
2 Boros Charm
1 Ray of Revelation
2 Pillar of Flame
2 Oblivion Ring
2 Rest in Peace
2 Garruk Relentless

You mad bro?

This deck is a work of art that attacked the Atlanta metagame impeccably.  Being able to go all in on Cavern of Souls helps against the blue based tempo decks that were popping up before Gatecrash rotated into the format.  Those decks can still go up high on the ground and pound strategy that Naya Humans relies on, but forcing them into a dedicated control roll against an efficient bunch of threats is not where tempo wants to be for the entirety of the game.  Yes, blue based tempo decks can flirt with being the control in the match up, but eventually their one for one tempo plays are not enough if the opposing deck can continue to press the board.  The Naya Humans strategy does just this, and the typical trump in the attrition wars of Sphinx's Revelation gets taken to the mat by Frontline Medic.  I would anticipate the blue tempo decks to start to adopt more concrete removal, sweepers, and Angel of Serenity-type finishers in order to deal with the board presence that the Cavern of Souls decks represent.

This deck is excellent for winning the grindfest of midrange battles that is consuming the Standard tables across the globe.   Huntmaster of the Fells and Restoration Angel pair to make a great mid game, while Champion of the Parish, Frontline Medic, and Silverblade Paladin create a lot of must answer situations.  Some life gain here.  A little value creature there.  Bringing the indestructable house from time to time. Sprinkle in a touch of double strike, and voila!  We now have a mixed green salad of obliteration, fit to serve the opponent, and hopefully, there will be seconds.

With further perusal of the deck, one can deduce that Herrara anticipated an aggro-centric metagame, as represented by the addition of Nearheath Pilgrim to the main deck.  This is reinforced by the sideboard additions of Centaur Healer, Fiend Hunter, Pillar of Flame, Garruk Relentless, and even Oblivion Ring in a pinch.  In fact, there is actually very little to address a true control match up other than Cavern of Souls and Thalia, Guardian of Thraben.  I can not imagine that this deck is great against a real Supreme Verdict deck, but the occasional Boros Charm is going go bail out Naya Humans. I would personally like to see the sideboard address this slightly more (this deck looks perfect for Domri Rade and Loxodon Smiter), but I do not like to question results.

The value creatures that permeate Standard keeps most decks out of spot removal, and, with the exception of red decks obeying the Searing Spear and Pillar of Flame mandate, it is difficult to play one for one game effectively in Standard and expect to come out ahead.  Herrara's Naya Humans build capitalizes on this fact by being able to create a game state that interacts favorably with his creature deployments turn after turn. Trading an Ultimate Price and a Devour Flesh for a Huntmaster of the Fells or a Thragtusk is miserable. If only there was a card that would let us abuse one for one's...

Snapcaster Mage, Engine Mechanic

Hello, Tiago, my old nemesis. I feel the time has come for us to combine our collective noggins, and combat the midrange value town that is growing on the Petri dish of Standard.  Long have the Forest and the Island been diametrically opposed, but at long last, the cosmos has aligned perfectly.  Finally, after years of opposition, the experiments within the Simic Combine are beginning to stir from deep within the laboratories.  It is a strained relationship to be sure, so the Golgari have swarmed at the chance to mediate the tentative alliance. The lushly overgrown pools and tombs throughout Ravnica have become a breeding ground of evolution and death. The ever long struggle between the mana forces of blue and green desperately needs an ambassador, and I think I may have the just the prime speaker in mind.

Wait, wrong love BUG...

BUG Midrange as proposed by yours truly

Critters

4 Deathrite Shaman
4 Snapcaster Mage
4 Thragtusk
2 Prime Speaker Zagana

Instant

1 Tragic Slip
2 Dispel
4 Thought Scour
2 Simic Charm
2 Dimir Charm
3 Devour Flesh
4 Abrupt Decay
1 Dissipate
1 Mystic Genesis

Whoopin' Stick

1 Runechanter's Pike

Planeswalker

1 Garruk, Primal Hunter

Land

3 Island
1 Forest
1 Swamp
4 Breeding Pool
4 Watery Gr ave
4 Hinterland Harbor
2 Cavern of Souls
1 Evolving Wilds
1 OvergrownTomb
1 Drowned Catacomb
1 Woodland Cemetery
1 Alchemist Refuge

Board

2 Cremate
3 Duress
4 Vampire Nighthawk
2 Ultimate Price
2 Sever the Bloodline
2 Jace, Memory Adapt

Finally...

This is a midrange deck that will prey on anyone unfortunate enough to think that low end aggro has a chance to succeed in Standard.  This version of BUG has a special way dominating decks trying to make the game about the first five turns.  It can go toe to toe with any other midrange strategy, and has a distinct advantage when grinding incremental advantages due to the flexibility and power of Snapcaster Mage.  That said, Angel of Serenity is bad juju.  While this BUG deck can slow roll a win out of just about any scenario, sometimes there is a giant 5/6 flying death machine that will stomp on the BUG, and then take everyone else's lunch money.  Yes, occasionally Deathrite Shaman and point removal will allow the game to reach a point where the last few damage necessary is obtainable, but this is not a quick win deck.  Please do not expect to curve out and end the game in short order. Decks that go big are tough to beat. Remember, this is a Rock deck in every way.  Stick and move, kid.  Stick and move.

That said, if you play against a typical aggro deck, or a midrange deck like Naya Humans, the plethora of removal that BUG has locked in the chamber can be staggering.  Granted, Restoration Angel is still a card, and a popular one at that, but playing smart, and keeping her in mind will go a long way towards eeking out every bit of advantage of which BUG is capable.  If Standard is overpopulated, I say call in the creeping doom.  However, the deck is lacking in a true sweeper.  Mutilate is available, but the swamp count does not support it to the point where it will impact the game.  The magic toughness in Standard is three, and the most reliable number of swamps to aspire for in this rendition of BUG is two.

This deck is built to trade, so do not be bashful about it. All roads lead to Cavern of Souls naming "wizard," and dropping down a Zagana at some point for roughly four cards.  If the games ever go long enough to equip Runechanter's Pike to a creature and slam a Prime Speaker Zagana on the table, I can not imagine a better feeling. First born son get out of here, I have cards to draw.  I feel like drawing all the cards, and I do not appreciate some silly EMT trying to stop me from doing it.  The deck would probably appreciate Farseek, but I want to tinker around with the charms, so the ramp will be on the back burner for now.  Snapcaster Mage is the engine of the deck, so check fluids regularly, and do preventive maintenance.

The sideboard is just meant to be resource overload.  If you are facing an aggro deck, bring in more removal and life gain for suspect counter magic and Simic Charms. Against control taking out bad removal for targeted discard and planeswalkers is straight money.  If Reanimator is across the table, saddle up with some graveyard disruption and exiling removal.

Remember to pick spots carefully, and be sure that the cards are being squeezed for maximum value.  Wielding a BUG deck is an education in how to be frugal.  This is not the most powerful deck in Standard.  I would venture a guess that belongs to the reanimation strategies, but Reanimator can be smacked around by properly played hate.  So, if the desire to play a possibly competitive Rock deck sounds like fun, give this pile a whirl.

As always, thank you for reading,

Jeremy Skelton
@peeps_champ