For this week, I present to you a deck that is near and dear to my heart, good ol' Abzan Aggro. It is quite good but has flown under the radar this Standard season. While we look forward to building new decks with Shadows over Innistrad, it is important to look back on great cards that were underplayed during the previous season. Also, from a deck-building perspective, this is an excellent example of condensing. I have a lower curve and fewer colors than similar decks like Mardu Green, but I have much of the same power and card advantage.

Deck Tech

Abzan Aggro ? Oath of the Gatewatch Standard | Andrew Boswell

• Lands (25)
• 4 Sandsteppe Citadel
• 3 Hissing Quagmire
• 2 Shambling Vent
• 4 Llanowar Waste
• 4 Caves of Koilos
• 4 Windswept Heath
• 1 Canopy Vista
• 2 Pains
• 1 Forest

• Creatures (28)
• 3 Warden of the First Tree
• 4 Sylvan Advocate
• 2 Ayli, Eternal Pilgrim
• 3 Den Protector
• 4 Anafenza, the Foremost
• 4 Deathmist Raptor
• 4 Siege Rhino
• 1 Surrak, the Hunt Caller
• 3 Bearer of Silence

• Spells (7)
• 4 Dromoka's Command
• 1 Ultimate Price
• 1 Valorous Stance
• 1 Abzan Charm

• Sideboard (15)
• 3 Arashin Cleric
• 2 Flaying Tendrils
• 2 Ultimate Price
• 1 Valorous Stance
• 1 Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet
• 1 Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
• 2 Wingmate Roc
• 2 Duress
• 1 Transgress the Mind

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Match 1 vs. Mardu Green

Match 2 vs. G/W Aggro

Match 3 vs. Red Eldrazi

Match 4 vs. Rally the Ancestors

Match 5 vs. Blue Eldrazi

With Shadows over Innistrad, this deck features some great cards for a G/W Aggro deck. The deck can go very wide, but also tall. It has a lot of card advantage, but on a low curve. It can play offense, play defense, protect its threats, or answer its opponents. The mix of Planeswalkers and resilient creatures makes it very good at clogging up the board, and it is set up to profit in a board stall. While there will be some other sweet things to try, like B/R Vampires, B/G Midrange with The Gitrog Monster, and Orzhov-based control decks with Archangel Avacyn, this G/W Aggro deck is what I am testing first.

G/W Aggro ? Shadows over Innistrad Standard | Andrew Boswell

• Spells (13)
• 3 Oath of Nissa
• 2 Oath of Gideon
• 4 Dromoka's Command
• 2 Declaration in Stone
• 2 Valorous Stance

• Creatures (19)
• 4 Hangarback Walker
• 4 Hanweir Militia Captain
• 3 Den Protector
• 4 Deathmist Raptor
• 4 Pack Guardian

• Planeswalkers (5)
• 3 Nissa, Voice of Zendikar
• 2 Gideon, Ally of Zendikar

• Lands (23)
• 4 Canopy Vista
• 4 Fortified Village
• 15 Lands

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