Kessig Wolf Run is a Beast....um, Within?
I decided to write an article about the current standard lists that have been frequently top eighting tournaments and why I think Kessig Wolf Run is the best deck to run at these tourneys. The most logical place to start is with the decklists generally considered to be tier 1 by most competitive Magic players.
- Solar Flare/Esper Control (Different ideas, but same colors and both control)
- U/W Aggro (Illusions/Humans/Delver)
- Tempered Steel
- Red Deck Wins
- Kessig Wolf Run (Every iteration)
This list is definitely not a comprehensive list of every competitive standard deck, but these are very good examples of what you’re likely to face at a tourney. Ok, now comes the point. My intention is to try and give you rational and valid reasons why Kessig Wolf Run is a deck that can win more consistently than any of these other lists. Don’t get the wrong impression. I’m not just writing this because the deck won Worlds. I’m writing this because I truly believe that Kessig Wolf Run is the best discovered standard list to run at FNMs and tourneys. Let’s run through the tools at Wolf Run’s disposal and the important targets that these tools take care of. I’m going to just do R/G Wolf Run because I believe it’s strong enough on its own to where a third color is unnecessary.
Tool #1 Galvanic Blast – Galvanic Blast is amazing in this deck and is a versatile weapon. It usually fills the role of early removal, but can also be a game ender as Iyanaga demonstrated by nuking Richard Bland for 16 in the finals at Worlds. I’m not sure it gets better than activating Inkmoth to Metalcraft your Galvanic Blast and kill Hero of Bladehold (with the help of Sphere and/or Simulacrum). Other notable pesky and relevant targets are Inkmoth Nexus, Mirran Crusader, Birds of Paradise and everything in Illusions. Originally, Galvanic Blast seemed destined to live its life only in artifact heavy builds. Wolf Run can play it for full value with right around twelve artifacts. Primeval Titan helps a lot since it can dig you two Inkmoths as enablers upon resolution.
Tool #2 Slagstorm – We’ve all seen this type of card before. Whether it’s Firespout or Sulfurous Blast, red needs a board sweeper. Slagstorm is the best tool in Wolf Run for keeping aggro in check. It makes your opponent hesitant to overextend their creature count, and punishes their greed if they do. It’s an important Honor of the Pure trump in a lot of cases. The bottom line of Slagstorm is that it makes the aggro match in your favor preboard. It also happens to work ridiculously well with the third tool at Wolf Run’s disposal.
Tool #3 Beast Within – Mono green Vindicate? Yes please. Ok, let’s get realistic here. Beast Within is not Vindicate. It is however an amazing catch-all and time buyer. Elesh Norn is championed as the Wolf Run killer. It definitely hurts, but Beast Within is the premier answer. Beast Within trumps almost all game winning cards whether it be an opposing Titan, Moorland Haunt, Hero of Bladehold, or even Phyrexian Crusader if Brian Kibler ends up being right about the power of Infect and we start to see some more lists. The card is not often used defensively, but can be very easily using an empty Sphere of the Suns or more likely one of the many, many lands you should have on the battlefield in any given game. I really feel like Wolf Run is not running this card enough.
These three tools are the biggest workhorses in the deck. They efficiently allow you to get to the inevitable resolved titan that proceeds to win the game. Wolf Run is a very resilient deck too. Primeval just seems to always find himself in dominating decks. It comes in giving you two win cons. One creature based, one manland based. Inferno Titan is a card that comes in and kills in two turns. The most problematic deck for Wolf Run is usually agreed upon by most to be control because, well… counterspells are good against titans. The answer to this post sideboard is to dump most of the spot removal and bring in more win cons.
-4 Galvanic Blast
-3 Slagstorm
-2 Solemn Simulacrum
+4 Autumn’s Veil
+1 Beast Within
+1 Thrun, the Last Troll
+2 Garruk, Primal Hunter
+1 Devil’s Play
You just keep laying threats until one sticks. Elesh Norn makes Beast Within a must in this match. Control doesn’t have many win cons, so destroying a Consecrated Sphinx or a Sun Titan is usually devastating. I played U/B Control against Wolf Run many times and the matches were a coin flip at best. I never felt like I had the edge against them. Wolf Run has so many win cons that it’s very difficult for control to keep up. The Autumn’s Veils are integral to combat counter/removal from U/B and Esper control. I take the Solemns out over the two drop ramp because I like to ramp earlier against control. I always felt more pressured as a control player when my Wolf Run opponent was at Thrun mana on turn three.
For the aggro match, use your tools intelligently. Your maindeck removal is there so that you have the edge against aggro. After side, your match gets even better. Take out a couple Solemn Simulacrums and bring in some Tree of Redemptions. Tree is amazing against all aggro, but Red Deck in particular as it’s not a good Traitorous Blood target, a blocker for the titan that they Traitorous Blood, and an extra 13 life.
After looking through the Starcity open results in LA I must say I’m very surprised to only see one Wolf Run list make it in the top 16. I think this is the kind of deck that waxes and wanes in popularity, like Valakut did, but is going to be a deck that sticks around for a long time and I believe it’s going to be sniping more tournament victories in the near future. Here is the current list I’m playing with.
Creatures: x13
1x Birds of Paradise
4x Solemn Simulacrum
4x Primeval Titan
4x Inferno Titan
Spells: x21
4x Galvanic Blast
4x Rampant Growth
4x Sphere of the Suns
3x Slagstorm
3x Beast Within
2x Green Sun Zenith
1x Devil’s Play
Lands: x26
3x Inkmoth Nexus
3x Kessig Wolf Run
1x Ghost Quarter
4x Rootbound Crag
4x Copperline Gorge
6x Forest
5x Mountain
Sideboard: x15
2x Tree of Redemption
2x Ancient Grudge
1x Slagstorm
1x Beast Within
1x Thrun, the Last Troll
1x Acidic Slime
2x Garruk, Primal Hunter
4x Autumn’s Veil
1x Devil’s Play
As always, I’m open to criticism if you think my logic is faulty, or that I’m just flat out wrong. Either way, I would love to discuss the state of standard, and Kessig Wolf Run’s role in this environment. If there’s one thing I want you to really take away from this article it’s don’t forget about Beast Within. I find myself thinking “Boy, I wish I had a Beast Within,” in a LOT of sticky situations.