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Accept no Limits
The Constructed Metagame
Kerryn Rubin
October 23, 2005
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Accept No Limits




Why, you might ask, is a column about Limited play looking at the constructed metagame? The short answer is ‘because I can’. The long answer is that currently the constructed metagame is more open and diverse than it has been since the creation of Vs. As most of the constructed gurus of Vs are also preparing for PCLA they are playing their cards pretty close to their chests (and I promise I did not intend that pun when I originally wrote his sentence). I feel that there is both a dearth of good information out there and, dare I say, a little bit of misinformation as well. Though I am not a constructed guru, I am a keen follower of the game and have managed two 10K top 20’s in constructed. I have also been deck-teching like crazy since the introduction of the Avengers set, as I could see an explosion in the metagame coming.



The second major factor in my writing this article was 10K Orlando. As much as I had been expecting some surprises from this event, the results did not come from the quarters that I expected them too. Some of the top 8 decks from this tournament had me quite mystified

I think the dominance of Sentinels over the metagame for the last year has meant that there are now decks out there that have beating Sentinels as their number one aim. I think that this has and will continue to contribute to the lessening of Sentinels power. One must note that in a more diverse metagame it may not help these decks rise to the top of the pile. I also think that as the metagame becomes more diverse the diversity of Sentinels decks has also increased. This may convey some negatives for the deck, as it dilutes some of the strategies that Sentinels had evolved to cope with some of its weaknesses. I will discuss this in more detail later in the article.

At this point I would like to direct attention to the top 8 decks in the Orlando 10k. The two new decks I was most expecting to see in the top 8 did not make an appearance. These were Kanghood and MK/Antimatter concealed. There were 7 different deck types within this 8, with only the ever versatile Teen Titans having earned a double spot. The other decks represented in the top 8 were: TNB, Squadron-Equip Rush, Avengers Reservist, Sentinels, Gamma Doom, and Spider-Friends(!!!). Of great significance was that 24% of the decks played were Sentinel variants, but they only managed 1 deck in the top 8 (as a bizarre side note this deck was playing only 3 Bolivers for reasons unknown). I must admit that the two greatest surprises for me were the presence of Spider-Friends and Gamma Doom. Though Spider-Friends has good game against Sentinels it has notoriously inconsistent draws, which I think in the long term hurt it as a genuine contender in a best of one format. The presence of Gamma Doom in a Null Time Zone rich environment was another surprise as I felt the early negation of Mystical Paralysis would hurt Doom stall decks too much. My thoughts on the other decks I have mentioned here, and there place in the new metagame follow:

Teen Titans:
Like many people I initially thought NTZ would be a huge blow to this deck, and yet once again it has risen to the top. However NTZ has had a much smaller impact than it initially appeared it would. I feel that the more diverse the metagame the higher I would rate the chances of this deck, as in the hands of a good player it is so versatile, and can have game against any deck.

Sentinels:
I was surprised by the low numbers of Sentinels in this top 8, as I still feel it is the strongest deck out there at the moment. I feel that with the wide number of slots that are seen as ‘open’ within this deck it may have lost some of it focus. Sentinels started off as a reactive, rather than a proactive deck. It played for the late game, and liked to be on defense on turn 6 so as to capitalise on Bastion's broken ability. However, as cards like Cover Fire slowly lost their place in the deck, and a greater emphasis on the Hounds and on handling weenie decks has arisen, I think the deck has lost some of it’s focus. This may seem like a crazy thing too say about the ‘premier’ deck in the format but I feel this is true. Don’t get me wrong, I still feel the deck is nuts, but the right build of Sentinels is an elusive entity currently.

Squadron-Equip Rush:
Firstly let me say that I think the Squadron Rush deck played at the 10K was a very clever deck. Having been working on the ‘No-Hand’ Deck for a long time this deck is a vast improvement on other builds I have seen as it has a very strong early game, and can manage turn 5 wins. It is also far better with 1-2 cards in hand than the no hand builds as many of its cards get better then less cards you have, but do not require you to have ‘no-cards’ in hand, which can be a draw-back at times. That being said I think it needs Sentinels to have bad draws to beat it. I have made the deck, and play tested it hard, and I think too often it fizzles in the late game. Sometimes it even fizzles in the early game! The more I played this deck the less I liked it. It is a very cheap deck to build, and I think it will make a place for itself in the metagame, but I do not see it making Tier 1 status.

TNB:
Still historically the most successful of the weenie rush decks. I have never known this deck to not have a good chance and the addition of Mammomax has been a nice bonus for this deck. I think we will continue to see a metagame where the Brotherhood keeps on popping up, but it is unlikely to rise to the top.

Avengers Reservist:
Various builds of this deck have been floating about since the first appearance of Avengers. However, the build that Michael Jacob played to lift the 10K trophy appears to be one of the most solid I have seen. Though there were some initial detractors, it has play tested very well. Add that it is cheap to build, and I think that this is a deck that will be out in force in the new metagame.

Kanghood (look here for a taste of the deck):
My observations of this deck are based mostly on my local metagame, where it has been performing very strongly. It is a strong late game deck, which performs well against Sentinels, but appears susceptible to strong rush decks. Keep an eye out for this one.

MK/Antimatter (Metagame article):
I really like this deck. I have tested various versions of it, and have got it to a point where it is very strong against Sentinels. It current weaknesses are its occasional ability to lose to random decks with the wrong draw. Someone playing this deck, who gets a few good draws, is going to do well soon.

The one other new deck I was expecting to see at the 10K was Faces of Evil. However, this was played by only 2 people in the whole event. There are many different builds based around this poor-mans TNB. I think this deck is very metagame dependant, but it is a good rush deck and good rush decks tend to have their moment in the sun. I personally would rate it higher than the Squadron-Equip deck.

So what will the metagame hold for us in the next few months? I think in the short term Sentinels will still reign supreme. I think contrary to earlier thought, Titans will still do well and will be out in force. If this thinking is accurate, then we will see Sentinels move back to packing Total Anarchy. We might also see more Flame Traps to cope with weenie decks. But I think there will also be a lot of new decks in Golden Age, with Avengers and Kanghood being the two to watch out for.


How I would rate these decks in the current metagame:

1. Sentinels                 8.5
2. Teen-Titans            8.0
3. Avengers Reservist 7.0
4. TNB                      6.5
5. Faces of Evil          6.5
6. Kanghood              6.0
7. MK/Antimatter      5.5
8. Squadron Equip     5.0
9. Spider-Friends       4.0
10. Rogue Deck         ???


Obviously there are other decks that have not been mentioned so far. These include Fantastic Fun, MKKO, Xavier’s Dream, GLEE, EMS and New School, the many Thunderbolts builds and the list goes on. For various reasons, except for MKKO (which has many similarities with MK/Antimatter), I do not feel they are large contenders in the metagame.

Is this prediction worth anything? You decide. And I will be happy to see all your feedback in the forums.

Until next time, when I return with more thoughts on limited play,

May all the ridic rips be yours.

Kerryn.
 

 

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