We begin the curve with a trio of one drops which are all set to attack for two power on turn two. Soldier of the Pantheon is a natural two power creature and also has the added benefit of working against multi-colored spells or creatures very well. The other two are Experiment One which should very easily begin evolving right off the bat and Sunblade Elf who is pumped by any of the 12 Plains in the deck and also acts as an anthem later in the game. Next in the two drop slot we have multi-colored creatures with a bane of Control decks Voice of Resurgence who leaves behind a token whenever he dies or if your opponent cast any spell on your turn, and Fleecemane Lion which if allowed to go monstrous becomes quite a tank and a force to be reckoned with. At the three spot there is Loxodon Smiter with four power to bring a swift demise to your opponent and is another bane against control as they will not be able to counter it. There is also the versatile Boon Satyr which is able to either come down as a creature and start delivering four damage cleaves or even Bestow another creature to pump it in for massive beats. The last creature is actually the instant Advent of the Wurm that is basically a flash 4/4 that you’ll be able to pop into play as a surprise defender if necessary or you’ll be able to keep mana up for a Charm and then call the Wurm at the end of turn if able. As an Aggro deck the three drop planeswalker Ajani, Caller of the Pride fits into the deck perfectly and is able to speed the beatdown plan up so you’re ending rounds quickly in proper Aggro fashion. The deck is removal light but does play a pseudo-Oblivion Ring catchall answer with Banishing Light to easily brush aside whatever is most threatening. And the final cog in the wheel is found with the versatile Selesnya Charm with three useful modes to either pump and grant Trample to either swing for the kill or save a blocked attacker in a trade situation, rid the board of a large creature threat, or even sneak in an extra creature either for more offense or a surprise blocker.

 

So as always with the dog days of summer upon us it’s hard to justify building this deck from scratch unless you plan to FNM every week or need something for your WMCQ. If you are an Aggro styled player then this is an awesome deck to play though and if you have the bigger pieces then take it for a spin. I am sure that you’ll not only beatdown like a baws but also have some good fun doing it. As for its longevity, with quite a few of the moving parts rotating out in a couple months there’s no certainty enough will remain to keep it a viable metagame call.

Naya Aggro by Jamie Arnold

2nd Place at StarCityGames Standard Open on 5/10/2014

 

 

The deck works on a very strong a linear path up the mana curve from one to three in an effort to clog the board with beaters. We start it off with Dryad Militant and Soldier of the Pantheon that both unchecked can start to swipe chunks off the opponents life total. Next are the Selesnya two drops with Voice of Resurgence which is amazing against control decks or removal in general and Fleecemane Lion which given the chance will turn into a Monstrous beast which opponents will be having fits to try and remove. Then we have continued profit in three drops from Boros Reckoner which can attack into small blockers and still push through damage or act as a brick wall against attackers and Loxodon Smiter which is basically a great 4/4 for three with some added value. The sole four drop creature in the deck is Ghor-Clan Rampager but it will most often be used for its Bloodrush ability to pump an attacking creature to push through extra damage to finish off the opponent. Moving over to the spells in the deck we start first with the ever useful Brave the Elements which with almost every creature being White, Ghor-Clan Rampager is the only exception, will be a key tool enabling alpha strike pushes past defenses to destroy the opponent or a way to ensure your creatures survive to fight through removal or as blockers against a flurry of attackers. The deck also sports two different charms with multiple useful modes to take advantage of. Selesnya Charm is capable of either giving a creature a boost with Trample to push for a kill, can exile a large creature as long as it has power of 5 or more, or is able to put a 2/2 Knight token onto the battlefield which is also White to take advantage of Brave the Elements as well. The other charm is Boros Charm which can be used as direct damage to scorch your enemy, is able to save all your permanents from destruction in a pinch, or will grant Double Strike to one of your creatures if you need it to deal a final blow to take you on a path to victory. The deck also takes advantage of the new mana fixing land Mana Confluence in order to smoothly run a three color manabase using a bare minimum of into play tapped lands.

The sheer power of this deck is sure to keep it performing for the next couple of months in Standard until Magic 2015 brings a new shake-up. Naya has often been the best in terms of value for creatures and this deck continues to prove that fact. Unless there is a major shift in the meta I don’t see why this deck won’t continue to be a force to be reckoned with.