We’re still finding out how Oath of the Gatewatch is going to shake up Standard, but we’re starting to see some of the overarching themes of the new format. From Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet being a format-defining value creature to Sylvan Advocate helping to redefine how midrange decks choose their early threats, there is plenty of new room to explore. Still, who would’ve thought there might be a midrange deck capable of out-attritioning Abzan with its Siege Rhinos and Abzan Charms? TheDragonSlayer certainly did, and subsequently brewed up a sweet Jund midrange deck to prove it:

Jund ? Oath of the Gatewatch Standard | TheDragonSlayer, 5-0 Standard League

• Creatures (16)
• 1 Tasigur, the Golden Fang
• 2 Pia and Kiran Nalaar
• 2 Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet
• 3 Goblin Dark-Dwellers
• 4 Den Protector
• 4 Sylvan Advocate

• Planeswalkers (2)
• 1 Chandra, Flamecaller
• 1 Ob Nixilis Reignited

• Spells (17)
• 2 Grasp of Darkness
• 2 Murderous Cut
• 3 Kolaghan's Command
• 4 Fiery Impulse
• 2 Read the Bones
• 2 Roast
• 2 Ruinous Path

• Lands (25)
• 4 Swamp
• 5 Mountain
• 2 Cinder Glade
• 2 Smoldering Marsh
• 4 Bloodstained Mire
• 4 Hissing Quagmire
• 4 Wooded Foothills

• Sideboard (15)
• 1 Ob Nixilis Reignited
• 2 Boiling Earth
• 3 Duress
• 2 Feed the Clan
• 2 Flaying Tendrils
• 2 Infinite Obliteration
• 1 Sarkhan, the Dragonspeaker
• 2 Self-Inflicted Wound

Buy This Deck

There are all manner of really interesting and powerful interactions in this deck. First, you’ve got the interaction between Sylvan Advocate and creature-lands like Hissing Quagmire giving you the ability to outright trump most creatures in combat while still having an aggressive two-drop against controlling strategies. Second, you’ve got the selection of Read the Bones over Painful Truths because of the interaction with Goblin Dark-Dwellers, since you can’t actually draw cards when you rebuy a Painful Truths.

Looking down this list, it really is just an incredible value deck very much built around the combination of Den Protector and Goblin Dark-Dwellers. In combination with Kolaghan's Command, these cards allow you to bury your opponent in card advantage while maintaining an evasive and threatening board presence.

The advantages of playing Red over White in this style of midrange deck are three-fold. First, you gain access to efficient damage-based removal spells like Fiery Impulse and Roast rather than leaning on conditional removal like Ultimate Price and Abzan Charm. Second, your mana is much better since all of your fetch lands and battle lands are on color. You don’t need any off-color Sunken Hollows or Smoldering Marshes to make sure Flooded Strand and Wooded Foothills can fetch the appropriate colors. Lastly, you gain access to Chandra, Flamecaller as an incredible midrange trump capable of sweeping the board, drawing cards, or piling on the pressure.

This deck may not have the same raw power and efficiency provided by Siege Rhino, but it has a surprising number of powerful interactions and is more than capable of generating more cards than a deck leaning primarily on Abzan Charm and Den Protector. If the format gets to a point where its leaning a little too heavily toward Siege Rhino decks, this may be exactly the kind of deck to trump them without giving up too many percentage points against other strategies.