Welcome all to the Daily Dose of Guilds of Ravnica. You may think it's a little early to preview the new set, since it comes out in early October. However, we're also coming up on the changing of the guard for Standard.
That’s right, Standard Rotation. We'll be gaining one new set with Guilds of Ravnica, and rotating out four sets (Kaladesh, Aether Revolt, Amonkhet, and Hour of Devastation). And because of that, I’m starting a series that will break down the impact of Standard rotation and which decks/cards will be impacted the most.
I'm starting things off today by looking at some of the most popular decks currently in the Standard metagame and how much they’ll be impacted by the rotation. This can help you decide which deck to play now so that you can keep playing it when Guilds of Ravnica releases in October.
Deck #1 – Black / Red Aggro
Percentage of cards remaining after rotation – 26/60 – 43.3%
Will this deck survive post rotation? – It looks like this iteration of the deck will be coming to an end in a couple of months. Only six non-land cards will survive rotation (Goblin Chainwhirler, Rekindling Phoenix), which means this deck will be tough to rebuild with only one set. A blow made harder with the fact that Rakdos will not be one of the five featured guilds in Guilds of Ravnica. This deck is great for now, but don’t expect to see anything resembling it after rotation.
Deck #2 – Blue / White Control
Percentage of cards remaining after rotation – 41/60 – 68.3%
Will this deck survive post rotation? – There is a pretty good chance that there will be a strong version of this deck post rotation. Most of the heavy hitters will be still be around in the form of Teferi, Hero of Dominaria, Settle the Wreckage, and Search for Azcanta. Some of the cards rotating out are easily exchangeable with cards currently in the format like exchanging Fumigate for Cleansing Nova. There will be some issues with card draw spells since both Glimmer of Genius and Hieroglyphic Illumination rotating out. There are a few versions of Cast Out currently available in the format, but none of them have the versatility of Cast Out.
Deck #3 – Turbo Fog
Percentage of cards remaining after rotation – 46/60 – 76.7%
Will this deck survive post rotation? – A whopping 76.7% of this deck will survive rotation, meaning that most of this deck will still be Standard legal. The main concern about this deck surviving play is the cards that will be rotating out. Nine of the dual lands here will be rotating out and with only Selesnya being represented strongly in Guilds of Ravnica, it could be difficult to get the mana needed for three-colours in Standard. The most devastating blow to this deck though, could be the loss of Haze of Pollen. This would leave the deck with only four “Fog” like effects. If these aren’t replaced in Guilds of Ravnica, it could mean the demise of this deck.
Deck #4 – Mono-Green Stompy
Percentage of cards remaining after rotation – 36/60 – 60%
Will this deck survive post rotation? – This deck will be taking a big hit post rotation, but there is a still a strong core of creatures that will survive. Steel Leaf Champion, Thorn Lieutenant, Thrashing Brontodon, Vine Mare, and Ghalta, Primal Hunger all remain to help it keep its Stompy name. Llanowar Elves will still be there to help them get out a turn earlier than expected. With Scrapheap Scrounger gone, there is no reason to have black around any more, so you will probably see a true mono-green deck when it comes to the mana base post rotation.
Deck #5 – Grixis Midrange
Percentage of cards remaining after rotation – 25/60 – 41.7%
Will this deck survive post rotation? – No. The answer is no. The version of the deck you see now is getting completely devastated post rotation. The only creature that survives rotation is Nicol Bolas, the Ravager, which means the Elder Dragon might need to find a new home. Plus, with 11 of the dual lands featured here rotating out, it will become much harder to play a three-colour deck.
As you can see, most of the decks in the format won't look the same after rotation, with some being impacted much more than others. Hopefully this guide will help you decide what to play now, so that you can continue to enjoy your deck after rotation. Thanks again for joining me on the Daily Dose. I will see you soon with another chapter to help you prepare for rotation.
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