Here are the team’s recommended lists for SCG Columbus this weekend. These decks are what the members are currently planning to register in the event—if you have any questions about the lists or are interested in a sideboard guide for any of these decks check out our Discord by signing up.
Ally, Chad, Drake, and Dylan
Sultai Urza
| Creatures (12) 4 Gilded Goose 4 Emry, Lurker of the Loch 4 Urza, Lord High Artificer Planeswalkers (4) 4 Oko, Thief of Crowns Spells (24) 2 Thoughtseize 2 Abrupt Decay 2 Archmage’s Charm 2 Cryptic Command 3 Engineered Explosives 4 Mishra’s Bauble 4 Mox Opal 1 Aether Spellbomb 4 Arcum’s Astrolabe | Lands (20) 2 Breeding Pool 2 Flooded Strand 2 Misty Rainforest 2 Mystic Sanctuary 4 Polluted Delta 2 Scalding Tarn 4 Snow-Covered Island 1 Snow-Covered Swamp 1 Watery Grave Sideboard (15) 2 Fatal Push 2 Veil of Summer 2 Assassin’s Trophy 2 Disdainful Stroke 3 Ashiok, Dream Render 2 Mystical Dispute 2 Tireless Tracker |
After trying just about every deck under the sun for this weekend, no one could convince us to stray from the consistency and power of Simic Urza. The only thing unique about this list is the addition of some maindeck black cards in Abrupt Decay and Thoughtseize. We’ve enjoyed Abrupt Decay as an answer to cards like Oko, Thief of Crowns or Emry, Lurker of the Loch in the mirror, should they sneak under your countermagic.
The big takeaway from this list though, is the sideboard. If you are playing Urza this weekend, play three Ashiok, Dream Render. Period. Primeval Titan is going to be out in force this weekend trying to prey on Urza strategies, let them know it’s not that easy.
Harlan and Kevin
Bant Stoneblade
| Creatures (19) 3 Birds of Paradise 4 Noble Hierarch 4 Ice-Fang Coatl 4 Stoneforge Mystic 4 Spell Queller Planeswalkers (8) 4 Oko, Thief of Crowns 2 Teferi, Time Raveler 2 Jace, the Mind Sculptor Spells (12) 4 Path to Exile 3 Force of Negation 3 Arcum’s Astrolabe 1 Sword of Feast and Famine 1 Batterskull | Lands (21) 1 Breeding Pool 2 Field of Ruin 1 Hallowed Fountain 1 Horizon Canopy 4 Misty Rainforest 2 Snow-Covered Forest 2 Snow-Covered Island 2 Snow-Covered Plains 1 Temple Garden 1 Waterlogged Grove 4 Windswept Heath Sideboard (15) 2 On Thin Ice 2 Veil of Summer 1 Disdainful Stroke 2 Winds of Abandon 3 Ashiok, Dream Render 2 Dismember 2 Mystical Dispute 1 Vendilion Clique |
If you’ve followed the SCG Tour for a few years you know that our affinity for blue tempo decks is unparalleled. We’ve decided to register the Bant Stoneblade deck that Harlan and Zach Allen played at the Players’ Championship a few weeks ago.
This deck is fantastic at doing several things that a more reactive UW deck can’t do. Chiefly, the deck excels at having creatures in play to protect your walkers, pressure your opponent, and wear some equipment. Icefang Coatl is great at hitting land drops and picking up Sword of Feast and Famine. The more targets you have for removal the better cards like Stoneforge Mystic and Spell Queller become. Spell Queller does an excellent job of checking the unfair decks and provides a solid answer to Urza, Lord High Artificer that doesn’t result in a pesky Construct token being left behind. This deck is a lot cleaner than the other Stoneblade decks that have seen play and I think it has some good matchups for the weekend.
Matt Dilks
Amulet Titan
It almost comes as no surprise I am registering Amulet of Vigor at this event as I think it’s one of the few decks that can compete with Urza Midrange. I think once you build your deck in a way that relies heavily on Explore and Castle Garenbrig there is no reason to play a different Primeval Titan deck. I think Oko, Thief of Crowns in Amulet Titan was an interesting experiment but after my sample size has grown I am not a fan. Not having extra nonland permanents lying around like astrolabe to fuel an elk army tends to put you behind in the Oko mirror and I prefer to win the fight for board control in a different way. I’m looking forward to another season of events starting with SCG Columbus.
Zach Allen
Sultai Field
| Creatures (15) 4 Arboreal Grazer 3 Sakura-Tribe Elder 3 Elvish Rejuvenator 4 Primeval Titan 1 Craterhoof Behemoth Planeswalkers (3) 3 Oko, Thief of Crowns Spells (12) 4 Summoner’s Pact 4 Explore 4 Once Upon a Time | Lands (31) 1 Bojuka Bog 1 Breeding Pool 3 Castle Garenbrig 3 Cavern of Souls 3 Field of the Dead 2 Forest 1 Ghost Quarter 1 Island 4 Misty Rainforest 1 Overgrown Tomb 1 Radiant Fountain 2 Simic Growth Chamber 2 Snow-Covered Forest 2 Snow-Covered Island 1 Swamp 2 Tolaria West 1 Vesuva Sideboard (15) 2 Veil of Summer 3 Assassin’s Trophy 2 Ashiok, Dream Render 2 Dismember 2 Mystical Dispute 1 Reclamation Sage 2 Tireless Tracker 1 Thragtusk |
Coming off the Players’ championship I assumed I would be playing Bant Stoneblade again after the deck performed quite well at the event. Unfortunately I have not liked how it’s positioned as the metagame has adapted to Simic Urza. One common theme in my testing seemed to be losing to the new Simic Field of the Dead decks that seemed to be the evolution of Amulet Titan. As I continued to lose to Field of the Dead I realized I should probably pick it up and try it out!
As the deck has evolved it’s now clear to me this is the best deck for Oko, Thief of Crowns mirrors. Other big mana strategies could not go sufficiently far enough over the top of the midrange Oko, Thief of Crowns decks without also losing badly to the common sideboard cards those decks had access too. This new Field of the Dead build can do both of those things. The permanents it puts in play generally don’t matter so they are fine to become 3/3 elks, or they generate enough value upon entering the battlefield you’re happy with the trade.
As I tested the Simic builds of the deck I still was losing to Ashiok a bit too much for my liking. This lead to my build of the deck incorporating black mana. Assassin’s Trophy does an excellent job answer the few permanents that can cripple this strategy (namely Ashiok, Dream Render) and the Cavern of Souls/Veil of Summer package are a great answer to the spell based disruption players love to use against you like Thoughtseize and Disdainful Stroke. The last big innovation to the deck is playing a Craterhoof Behemoth, popularized by MTGO streamer Tangrams. This has given the deck the final push to end the game it needed instead of having a few 2/2s not be enough to win on occasion.
We hope if you are planning on attending SCG Columbus this weekend that you have a great time—see you there.