Combo is my favorite style of deck. Light years ahead of control, and aggro decks? Bah humbug turning creatures sideways is for suckers combo is king or at least it was. Wizards has seriously toned down the power of combo cards in the years since such beasts as Tolarian Academy and Mind Over Matter first saw print but here and there have been inklings of combo’s return Hive Mind got players Johnny senses tingling and saw serious play in old Extended and currently see’s some play in legacy. Combo decks have been hit and miss in the world of standard but with the new banning I feel two combo decks can make a bigger impact than they already have and one semi combo deck can stand head and shoulders above the rest, let’s dive in!

 

Imagine its turn one and you’re on the draw and you don’t care what your opponent is playing, literally their plan does matter at all your in control always have been always will its like your playing a different game of Magic all together. This is the thrill of combo decks and no deck best illustrates this point other than Splinter Twin. If a deck is not ready for this it will get railroaded as early as turn four with no way to fight the inevitable. The combination of Deceiver Exarch and Splinter Twin may be old news but suffers least of all out of the blue decks with the banning, The mind sculptor can be replaced by baby Jace and all is well and good providing solid card draw and a permanent to worry opponents. Splinter Twin before the ban was good and after the ban it is good what’s left to discuss? How about prevalence, compared to Cawblade Splinter Twin is a budget build and players looking to perform well after the banning may shift to this deck in droves this is one of the most powerful decks in standard and will continue to be so, be prepared to face this deck or lose.

 

Mana ramp, fetch land Titan 20 damage. Valakut is not technically a combo deck without the missing Scapeshift element however it is some Frankenstein hybrid of combo, aggro and midrange and it is poised to be the best deck in the format and the new boogie man of Standard according to everyone but me. Valakut will be popular now that Jace is banned but the prevalence of Spreading Sea’s and Tectonic Edge and Goblin Ruinblaster can help keep it in check and aggro decks can easily race it. Once again I am reiterating some ideas from a previous column but Valakut is also poised to be one of the most dominating non-combo combo decks in standard and a must deal with deck approaching the brave new world of standard.

 

    

 

Also the combination of Mindcrank and Bloodchief Ascension while not poised to be a truly dominating force in the new world of standard may see a fair amount of play and is worthy of being explored as a deck as it requires such two low costing pieces and can be monetarily built on the cheap. Finally Pyromancer Ascension is a solid deck that can transform via the sideboard into a Splinter Twin deck and still retains a fair amount of flexibility and power in the uncharted waters of this new standard metagame as it has current top 8 successes and has previously been a definitive combo deck of the format. While not a highly informative article I hope I have at least given you a brief understanding of important combo decks in the new standard metagame whether they are Tier 1 or just possible contenders and provided enough information for you to build these decks yourself as some player may not know or appreciate the power of combo decks and this gives them a very brief insight into combo decks in standard.. Once again if you have any opinions, criticism, or advice for columns please just shoot me an email at PlatinumFUBU5@hotmail.com or find me on Magic Online my handle is EnderWiggan1337. Tune in as I try and flounder my way through looking in depth at more combo decks coming soon.