MACHINE HEAD IN THE NEW STANDARD
The introduction has always been the hardest part of writing for me. You can always introduce yourself (Paul Hagan, by the way), or you can jump into your subject without much backing (scroll down). If you’re brave enough, you can write about your qualifications for writing (playing seriously for two years, work in a game store), but sometimes that will scare people off (have you left yet?).
I suppose I could tell you what you’re about to read. Below is a fairly in-depth analysis of the B/R Machine Head archetype, adapted to fit the current Standard environment. Covered are what cards you can use maindeck, some sideboard options, new Torment cards that just didn’t make the cut, good match-ups, bad match-ups, and a decklist to wrap it up.
So let’s get started, beginning with the maindeck options. Below is a list of the most common cards found in Machine Head. I’ve tried to cover everything that has a place, so if you’re thinking of running a card not on this list, think long and hard.
Addle – While costing one mana more than Duress, Addle can do so much more damage as long as you choose the right color. Be weary of using this card, the chance involved can have you wasting a turn.
Blazing Specter – Coming in a close third, just behind Skizzik and Flametongue Kavu, Blazing Specter is a must have in B/R. A lot of people have been bashing this guy since Torment introduced the madness mechanic, but think of it this way: How many ways do your opponents already have to discard their madness cards? And which madness cards are you concerned with?
Chainer’s Edict – I won’t even bother comparing this to Diabolic Edict, too many players are already embroiled in that pointless argument. Allow me to share a game experience instead: I was playing against a B-G-W deck; my opponent played four Mystic Crusaders and two Mystic Enforcers during the course of the game. I still won. Guess why.
Crypt Angel – An oft forgotten aspect of B/R, the Angel brings Flametongue Kavu, Skizzik, and Blazing Specter back to play, which can be devastating. However, the high casting cost is something to watch out for in a deck with a lot of four and five drops.
Duress – Everyone should know that this card is amazing by now. (Side rant: actually look at what cards are in your opponent’s hand and remember them. All too often, players will skim over, grab the most threatening card, and not even stop to consider what was left in their hand!)
Flametongue Kavu – Four mana, four damage, and a 4/2 creature to go with it. If you can think of a reason this guy isn’t good, e-mail me.
Grim Lavamancer – OK, OK. I’ll own up. I bashed this guy when he came out. I said he was Kris Mage’s older brother. I said I couldn’t wait for people to figure out Grimmy sucks. Now, I’ve seen the light. Later in most games, he can rule the table.
Laquatus’ Champion – I think this guy is just stupid (Note: not broken). Know how hard it is to kill Spiritmonger? This guy is just as good and he smacks your opponent to the dome for six when he hits play. The only drawback is the high casting cost.
Nightscape Familiar – Oddly enough, this little guy can be the MVP in so many games. Many control players won’t counter or bounce him, and so he sits on the board and becomes the champ of pinging. What’s better, more aggressive players have to decide whether the Familiar is worth killing when you’re running beasts like Skizzik and Blazing Specter.
Phyrexian Scuta – Although some players will scoff at the Scuta while they have Skizzik to work with, a 5/5 for four mana is almost never bad. The loss of life can be critical, though, especially in an environment filled with bounce and cheap removal.
Pyre Zombie – You know those times when you have nine lands on the table, no cards in hand, and your opponent has a swarm of weenies heading your way? Pyre Zombie rules the day. You know that time when you have three lands in play, and you need to top-deck something decent to stop your opponent’s early advance? Pyre Zombie flies across the room.
Shivan Zombie – Although not as popular as he once was, I foresee the Shivan Zombie rising again (haha). A few white weenie decks have been popping up, and few have ways of dealing with the Zombie.
Skizzik – Almost a requirement in B/R, Skizzik is a one-creature-finisher. Your opponent may sweep the board clean of your little guys with Wrath of God or Pernicious Deed, but Skizzik can finish the job next turn. At the very worst, he’s a Lava Axe. At very best, you’re up one game and going onto next.
Terminate – There is no reason to pass up Terminate. It kills almost everything, and combined with Chainer’s Edict, nothing gets to stay on the board against B/R.
Urza’s Rage – You must have a doctor’s notice to not include this spell in any red deck.
Void – I’ve never been entirely sold on Void. Between the casting cost, its limit on targets, and the fact that it can take out some of your guys, it’s never really been a game breaker for me. However, considering the amount of play it sees (most B/R decks are packing at least one), I could be missing something.
Now, let’s turn our attention to sideboard. B/R isn’t the king of sideboard cards, but we do have a few selections from which to choose. Of course, this section is very general and is not meant to be all-inclusive, as with the above list.
Boil – A staple red card that, at best, rids your opponent of quite a bit of land. Unfortunately, with the Invasion tap-lands, the full set of pain-lands, and a plethora of other non-basics floating around, Boil has lost some of its power.
Haunting Echoes – Yes, that’s right. I sat and thought about it, and I had to put Haunting Echoes in sideboard. There are far too many good cards that should see play maindeck over this one. That being said, Echoes is just beastly against any control player, and often, the G/U Tempo-Threshold decks that are floating around now.
Innocent Blood – I started using this in sideboard against Psychatog as a gag. Already having four Chainer’s Edict and four Terminate maindeck, it seems a bit like overkill. However, I found them seeing more play than I had originally intended. You can bring them in against R/G Beats and G/U Tempo-Threshold.
Obliterate – Ka-Boom. There is not a thing Enforcer-Go or Psychatog decks can do against this, and that’s what makes it a champ.
Persecute – Though fallen in popularity since the days of Rebels and Blue-Skies, Persecute can still be a viable sideboard card against a few decks, such as Psychatog, Opposition, and Enforcer-Go.
Plague Spitter – Oh how I wish I had this card sideboard last time I played Friday Night Magic. Seeing as how Tom Van de Logt rode the Spitter through the finals of World Championships against Alex Borteh’s Merfolk-Opposition deck, I can’t really argue with this card’s effectiveness.
Slay – Although it does see play in other black deck sideboards, Slay just isn’t for B/R. With all of the other options, it is over-costed and too limited.
What? Just seven cards for sideboard options? Well, yes. Looking above at the maindeck options, you’ll see plenty of cards that deserve to see play that may not in your deck. For example, in the version of Machine Head that I am running currently, Shivan Zombie is nowhere to be found. However, if more white weenie decks start cropping up in my area, four copies will head strait into sideboard.
Of course, some of you may be looking for a few new cards from Torment (maindeck and sideboard). Below are a few that I intentionally left out, but at least deserve a mention and why they were not included.
Mutilate – First, Mutilate isn’t the new Wrath of God. It’s just a large Massacre. That said, it wasn’t included due to the already large amount of removal in this deck, the low swamp count, and the abundance of preferable four drops.
Nantuko Shade – At the time I wrote this, the Nantuko Shade had not made it into my deck for testing yet. It’s double black cost, the amount of red being played in the current metagame, and better options in two-drops have kept him out. However, I don’t want to sell this guy short; he can be quite the house.
Overmaster – I’ll put it simply: not productive enough. This deck shouldn’t be overly concerned with card draw, there are too few sorceries in the deck, and it seems like there should be something else attached to this card, like small burn or a little creature. Maybe I’m just too greedy.
Shambling Swarm – I’ve played and played with this guy, and I just can’t give him much praise. Against R/G Beats and G/U Tempo-Threshold decks, he’s a house; any other time, he’s almost a hill giant. It’s so sad, too, because I had high hopes for the Swarm.
Now that we’re past all of the options, we can concentrate on a different aspect of the deck: how does B/R Machine Head match up against some of the big decks right now? Can you pilot this deck at a tournament chock-full of ‘Tog and Opposition decks? Read on to find out.
Balancing Tings – What a great match-up for this deck! What hurts Tings the most? Discard and non-targeting creature kill. What does the new Machine Head offer? Discard and non-targeting creature kill.
Enforcer-Go – Although similar in play style to Psychatog, the inclusion of green in Enforcer-Go allows for a greater creature base that could cause difficulties. Played well, Machine Head has little trouble in this match-up.
Green-Blue Tempo-Threshold – Probably one of the worst matches for this deck, the key is, once again, early removal. Expect to lose first game without a great hand or amazing playing skills. If you’re playing them, forget about Duress, there’s really nothing worth getting unless your opponent plays Upheaval.
Machine Head (Mirror) – What can you say here? The mirror match is just stupid. Nothing stays on the board more than two turns, and when it does, that should be game. Obviously, the odds here are about 50/50. The good news? You should be finished with the match in 15 minutes, so you can go grab lunch.
Opposition – Before sideboard, the match is iffy. Use your creature kill on everything, keep swinging no matter what, and hope for the best. After sideboard, you have Plague Spitter. ‘Nuff said.
Psychatog – The ‘tog is another good match-up. With the multitudes of creature kill combined with discard effects, Psychatog players have to fight hard to win this match-up, even after sideboard.
Red-Green Beats – This one is rough. Early removal is key to gaining control of the game. After sideboard, you should be able to get Innocent Blood, Chainer’s Edict, or Terminate in opening hand, which is a good start.
Normally, I would like to post a decklist that had recently been piloted to the top of a recent pro-level event. Unfortunately, Torment’s introduction into Standard is just over two weeks old, so no events of that type have been run and publicized yet. So, instead, here is the list of the deck I’m currently running:
4 Blazing Specter
4 Nightscape Familiar
4 Skizzik
3 Flametongue Kavu
2 Grim Lavamancer
2 Laquatus’ Champion
4 Chainer’s Edict
4 Duress
4 Terminate
4 Urza’s Rage
1 Void
7 Swamp
6 Mountain
4 Sulfurous Springs
4 Urborg Volcano
2 Cabal Pit
1 Keldon Necropolis
Sideboard:
4 Innocent Blood
4 Plague Spitter
3 Addle
2 Haunting Echoes
1 Flametongue Kavu
1 Void
You’ll note the absence of Crypt Angel, Phyrexian Scuta, Pyre Zombie, and Shivan Zombie. This does not mean I am going back on what I wrote above about them, but there isn’t room in the deck for everything and I had to make a call. Shivan Zombie and Phyrexian Scuta go against the current local metagame, and thus were cut. Crypt Angel and Pyre Zombie were left out due to the mana intensity they require in a deck already filled with quite a few high casting-cost spells, so they could not make it either.
Well, that’s about it. Wow, you know what’s almost as bad as introductions? Conclusions. You’re supposed to (according to English teachers abroad) summarize what you’ve just written (B/R Is Good), leave contact information (Hagan0001@aol.com), and wrap up your work (bye-bye). I’ve just never gotten it right. So, I’ll just say play hard and have fun.
Paul Hagan
Hagan0001@aol.com