Pro Tour Tech and Cunning Sparkmage in Standard

[NightLoki]

Hey everybody, welcome to another edition of Deck Tech Talk. I'm back from Pro Tour: San Diego where I got to see a whole bunch of new tech, as well as get my level 1 Judge Certification with the DCI. Yay! Anyways, I'm going to spend today's DTT talking about Tom Ross' Boss Naya deck, which went to the Semifinals at Pro Tour: San Diego in the hands of Luis Scott-Vargas as well as being run to healthy finishes by most of the Channel Fireball team. Here's the list:

60 cards
4 Arid Mesa
5 Forest
3 Misty Rainforest
2 Mountain
2 Plains
1 Raging Ravine
1 Rootbound Crag
1 Sejiri Steppe
2 Stirring Wildwood
1 Tectonic Edge
2 Terramorphic Expanse
24 lands

2 Birds of Paradise
4 Bloodbraid Elf
4 Knight of the Reliquary
4 Noble Hierarch
4 Ranger of Eos
1 Scute Mob
2 Stoneforge Mystic
4 Wild Nacatl
25 creatures

2 Ajani Vengeant
1 Basilisk Collar
1 Behemoth Sledge
1 Elspeth, Knight-Errant
3 Lightning Bolt
2 Oblivion Ring
1 Path to Exile
11 other spells

Sideboard
2 Baneslayer Angel
1 Basilisk Collar
1 Behemoth Sledge
4 Cunning Sparkmage
2 Dauntless Escort
1 Goblin Guide
2 Manabarbs
1 Oblivion Ring
1 Stoneforge Mystic
15 sideboard cards


Wow. When I first saw this deck, then heard that LSV went undefeated with it, I couldn't believe it. After a whole bunch of reviewing of the play videos and coverage, I can understand every card choice. The deck runs three toolboxes in Stoneforge Mystic, Knight of the Reliquary, and Ranger of Eos. It's got good game against pretty much anything with creatures thanks to the Cunning Sparkmage-Basilisk Collar combo as well as their creatures just being better than anyone else's, thank you equipment. It does die to mass removal pretty hard, which is why the Dauntless Escorts are there, but overall it's a unique take on the color combination that won Worlds 2009. So keep an eye on those Stoneforge Mystics and Basilisk Collars, they're probably going up! This is NightLoki from MTGVault saying so long.

[Zamfir]

Good read. Great deck!

I completely agree, everything in this deck serves a purpose.

[whitey_mcfly]

Looks like this guy took a page from last years champ. This is obviously a version of Naya Lightsaber, which won the international championships.

[NightLoki]

Yeah, the Worlds 2009 deck was Naya Lightsaber. Oh, Jund won PT: SD, if you guys didn't hear...

[Seth]

woah that's a very cool deck, I love toolbox decks.

[Gary]

Congrats on getting your judge certification!

[NightLoki]

Thank you! I've heard that so much over the past few days, it's great.


As for the toolbox deck, at first glance I was really confused. I had to sit down and analyze it. cunning sparkmage in the board and basilisk collar is....insane. I kinda want to playtest this deck.

[Spuffles]

I am SO confused... Why run 2 oblivion rings, which is 1w2cl to cast, and only 1 path to exile which is 1 to cast?!

[puffermad]

Dude, you have to remember that path may be a 1 mana instant speed removal spell, but oblivion ring is much more versatile. In this case only 1 path is required for this deck to function, as generally the creatures in this deck are superior to the opponents (especially with the stoneforge mystics fetching the equipment cards). The oblivion ring is to deal mainly with the planeswalker threat. Especially U/W control which used Jace, the mind sculptor AS IT'S WIN CONDITION.

[Spuffles]

Heh, makes sense now XD