Mid-range aggro is my current favorite deck archetype. I got myself some RtR cards from some boosters and such. With the reprinting of the shock-lands, ramping and playing multiple colors is not too difficult. Right now though, we only have half of the shock-lands so deckbuilders are still a bit limited in their color choices.
I experimented with different kinds of ramp. I toyed with 4-color ramp, but the mana base just was not there yet. I examined the options for Naya, and did not like the card selection. I was basically splashing red for 7 cards; not very efficient. I toyed with bant, trying to utilize the "detain" mechanic, but realized that I cannot "Ranger's Path" to find a blue source. (as Simic is a guild not featured in RtR).
I finally made a tough decision, I removed White from my deck and replaced it with Black.
Naya Mid-aggro has become Jund Mid-aggro. The decklist is as follows:
Creatures(20)
1 Deathrite Shaman
2 Gatecreeper Vine
3 Vampire Nighthawk
3 Deadbridge Goliath
3 Huntmaster of the Fells
1 Olivia Voldaren
4 Thragtusk
3 Thundermaw Hellkite
Sorcery(10)
4 Bonfire of the Damned
4 Farseek
2 Rakdos's Return
Planeswalker(5)
3 Garruk Relentless
2 Vraska the Unseen
Land(25)
4 Blood Crypt
7 Forest
2 Kessig Wolf Run
5 Mountain
4 Overgrown Tomb
3 Swamp
Some quick things to note:
There is only a single one-drop. Deathrite Shaman.
There are six two-drops.
There are three three-drops.
Everything else is a four or five drop.
I tried to stick with creatures that have inherent mana cost value.
Deathrite Shaman: This was included to get some mid-late game value out of my Sorceries and control my opponents graveyard in a subtle way. (as opposed to straight graveyard-hate)
Gatecreeper Vine: An accelerant, mana-fixer, chump blocker, and Garruk Veil-cursed sacrificial fodder.
Vampire Nighthawk: 2/3 Flying, Deathtouch, Lifelink for three mana? Yes please.
Deadbridge Goliath: a 5/5 for four mana. No drawback, but can be scavenged for added value. 5 toughness is key vs Mizzium Mortars.
Huntmaster of the Fells: A great value card. Four power (spread across two bodies) and two life for four. Gets better as the game progresses, assuming it can flip and unflip.
Olivia Voldaren: a great creature control card. I only included one because ti is not an ideal four-drop. It functions better as a six-drop. (Drop and ping, next turn take control)
Thragtusk: Five power, five life, and a 3/3 when it dies. Great value.
Thundermaw Hellkite (a.k.a. face-rape-o-matic): 5/5 haste, remove blockers. Kill card.
Bonfire of the Damned: Still the best and most expensive card in standard.
Farseek: The new (and improved) rampant growth, as it allows you to search for shock-lands.
Rakdos's Return: A bit untested, good on paper. Mind twist+burn (which I believe you can re-direct to a planeswalker).
Garruk Relentless: If my deck has green, it has Garruk Relentless. He is THAT good. He turns a late-game Gatecreeper Vine into a Thundermaw Face-raper.
Vraska the Unseen: This card replaced Acidic Slime in my deck, as they are both five-drops. Vraskas ultimate can be game winning in 3 turns, but it is her second ability that excited me the most. The inability to destroy land (as Acidic Slime could) is less relevant now that Inkmoth Nexus has rotated out.
I continue to play mid-aggro because it has such a strong mid-to-late game presence. The ability to draw something relevant every turn is exceptional beyond compare, in my mind. It is not without its weaknesses, however. You are open to fast-aggressive starts, but the early life-gainers (Vampire Nighthawk and Huntmaster of the Fells) are meant to mitigate that. Once my bigger creatures get rolling, they are difficult to stop, even through multiple board wipes. (I had a game recently where I played through THREE Terminus to pull the win) The high number of four and five drops makes it difficult to dump your entire hand into a board wiper, as lower curve aggro decks can.
The sideboard is still up in the air, so to speak, as the format is still in a but of turmoil.
I put in Deathrite shamans, Pillar of Flames, Mizzium Mortars, Slaughter Games, and Zealous conscripts. It will change, as appropriate.
Until next time.
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