Power Rankings week of 02/08/2016

The power rankings will look a little different this week, due to the Pro Tour being a split format event we were unable to use conventional to X for points since that would include point earned in limited. Instead we used the match points of all decks that were 8-2 or better. Determining which decks truly stood out from the pack.

5-Angel Chord 27 
A midrange-combo deck built in the proud tradition of Melira Pod and Abzan Company this deck aims to value you out with mana acceleration, Lingering Souls, and Gavony Township. Or combo to gain infinite life with the interaction between Archangel of Thune and Spike Feeder. Matthew Rogers put up an extremely impressive 9-1 with the deck. This is an archetype similar to those many are predicting will be able to hold off the Eldrazi menace that drowned this pro tour.

Angel Chord by Matthew Rogers 
4 Archangel of Thune
4 Birds of Paradise
2 Courser of Kruphix
4 Noble Hierarch
1 Orzhov Pontiff
1 Qasali Pridemage
1 Scavenging Ooze
2 Spellskite
3 Spike Feeder
4 Wall of Roots
4 Lingering Souls
4 Chord of Calling
3 Path to Exile
2 Forest
4 Gavony Township
1 Godless Shrine
1 Horizon Canopy
1 Marsh Flats
1 Overgrown Tomb
1 Plains
2 Razorverge Thicket
1 Swamp
1 Temple Garden
4 Verdant Catacombs
4 Windswept Heath
SB: 1 Burrenton Forge-Tender
SB: 1 Ethersworn Canonist
SB: 1 Melira, Sylvok Outcast
SB: 1 Sigarda, Host of Herons
SB: 3 Painful Truths
SB: 3 Stony Silence
SB: 3 Thoughtseize
SB: 2 Worship

4-Zoo 48
It seems almost unfair to classify several very different decks under the umbrella of Zoo. But that’s what Wild Nacatl does, it unifies people. In a truer sense the definition of a Zoo deck is a fairly encompassing concept. The easiest way to explain it is; playing the most mana efficient threats and removal, almost no card advantage or “value” creatures, it’s all about the beat downs, and keeping your opponent’s creatures out of the way of yours. 2 players played this archetype to an 8-2 record. A deck capable of going under or around many major strategies. I would recommend this deck to anyone that likes the white knuckle thrill of a good aggressive deck, and likes to attack hard and often this is not a deck that will tolerate you playing scared.

Zoo by Michael Majors 
4 Burning-Tree Emissary
1 Dryad Arbor
4 Experiment One
4 Goblin Guide
4 Kird Ape
4 Reckless Bushwhacker
4 Tarmogoyf
4 Wild Nacatl
1 Devastating Summons
1 Forked Bolt
3 Atarka’s Command
4 Lightning Bolt
3 Path to Exile
4 Arid Mesa
1 Forest
1 Mountain
2 Sacred Foundry
2 Stomping Ground
1 Temple Garden
4 Windswept Heath
4 Wooded Foothills
SB: 1 Path to Exile
SB: 2 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
SB: 2 Ancient Grudge
SB: 2 Deflecting Palm
SB: 1 Kozilek’s Return
SB: 2 Molten Rain
SB: 2 Phyrexian Unlife
SB: 3 Stony Silence

3-Affinity 79
The last child of old Modern lasted all the way to the semi finals in the hands of Patrick Dickman and several other players made it deep into the tournament with this archetype. A deck that is capable of turn 3 kills or grinding out with an Etched Champion, but will likely need to go through a revamp due to the fact that the champ doesn’t actually have protection from much in the Eldrazi decks. I talked about this deck a great deal last week so I won’t repeat myself. However, I think if a build of this deck that does a good job of attacking through Eldrazi could be extremely well positioned going forward as many players (Fools!) will be more relaxed than ever in their affinity hate.

Affinity by Patrick Dickman
4 Arcbound Ravager
4 Master of Etherium
3 Memnite
4 Ornithopter
4 Signal Pest
2 Spellskite
4 Steel Overseer
4 Vault Skirge
2 Thoughtcast
4 Cranial Plating
4 Mox Opal
4 Springleaf Drum
4 Darksteel Citadel
4 Blinkmoth Nexus
4 Glimmervoid
4 Inkmoth Nexus
1 Island
SB: 2 Etched Champion
SB: 3 Ancient Grudge
SB: 1 Chalice of the Void
SB: 1 Dismember
SB: 2 Ghirapur AEther Grid
SB: 1 Grafdigger’s Cage
SB: 1 Gut Shot
SB: 1 Stubborn Denial
SB: 2 Thoughtseize
SB: 1 Whipflare

2-U/R Eldrazi 81 & 1-Colorless Eldrazi 130
Not enough can be said for how impressive the performance of our last 2 decks were at this pro tour. In total there were 6 Eldrazi decks in the top 8 of this tournament, a feat not often replicated. The U/R version played by Team East West Bowl ultimately took down the tournament despite being the far less represented of the 2 major flavors of Eldrazi with only 4 players in the tournament playing it. And the colorless version played by team Channel Fireball and Face to Face Games, was the more popular version at the top tables, and was more played overall on the teams that played it with 17/20 members playing it. What we know are that 32 players registered decks that would be classified as Eldrazi and 18 of those would finish Saturday with at least 6 wins in constructed, and had many more doing considerably better than that. This is a ferocious deck with many creatures that are already costed aggressively but have additional abilities. Which is a trait exacerbated by the ability of the deck to cheat on mana with Eye of Ugin and Eldrazi Temple. The main question coming out of this tournament is whether the rest of modern can adapt to beat this archetype. I have included both decks together due to the many similarities, the caveat being that it is currently widely believed that the U/R decks are favored in the mirror.

U/R Eldrazzi by Jiachen Tao
4 Drowner of Hope
4 Eldrazi Mimic
3 Eldrazi Obligator
4 Eldrazi Skyspawner
4 Endless One
4 Reality Smasher
2 Ruination Guide
4 Thought-Knot Seer
4 Vile Aggregate
3 Dismember
3 Cavern of Souls
4 Eldrazi Temple
4 Eye of Ugin
1 Gemstone Caverns
2 Island
4 Scalding Tarn
4 Shivan Reef
2 Steam Vents
SB: 1 Spellskite
SB: 2 Chalice of the Void
SB: 2 Gut Shot
SB: 3 Hurkyl’s Recall
SB: 1 Ratchet Bomb
SB: 2 Relic of Progenitus
SB: 3 Stubborn Denial
SB: 1 Tomb of the Spirit Dragon

Colorless Eldrazi by Ivan Floch
4 Eldrazi Mimic
4 Endless One
4 Matter Reshaper
4 Reality Smasher
4 Simian Spirit Guide
2 Spellskite
4 Thought-Knot Seer
4 Dismember
4 Chalice of the Void
2 Ratchet Bomb
4 Blinkmoth Nexus
4 Eldrazi Temple
4 Eye of Ugin
4 Ghost Quarter
3 Mutavault
3 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
2 Wastes
SB: 1 Spellskite
SB: 1 Ratchet Bomb
SB: 3 Oblivion Sower
SB: 3 Gut Shot
SB: 2 Pithing Needle
SB: 4 Relic of Progenitus
SB: 1 Warping Wail

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