Hare, There, and Everywhere!

Top 8 Coverage

For the second time in three years, a Buffalo native takes home the Grand Prix Pittsburgh trophy. Ryan Hare blew by the competition in the Top 8, game after game. His Black-Green deck—full of the Winding Constrictors, Rishkar, Peema Renegade and Verdurous Gearhulk—took down Mardu Vehicles in the finals. Perhaps an apt metaphor for the direction of the Aether Revolt Standard format as a whole.

After Pro Tour Aether Revolt, Mardu Vehicles was the deck to beat. And this weekend, boy did it get beat. An also-ran compared to Mardu last week, Black-Green dominated the top tables all weekend long, establishing itself as the new royalty of the hill. The deck is epitomized by what Hare did in the quarterfinals to Hunter Cochran—Winding Constrictor into Rishkar, Peema Renegade, then two Verdurous Gearhulk in a row. It completely buries opponents in +1/+1 counters, and attacks for the win.

But who knows what the future will hold for Standard. Copycat, Mardu Vehicles, and now Black-Green have all taken their turns with the crown. What enterprising deckbuilder will concoct the next step for the format?

Aether Revoltcontinues its revolution, reinventing itself with each new weekend. The future's so bright, Chandra's gotta wear shades.

Day 2 Coverage

The tournament began with more than 1,300 players pitting powered-up vehicle decks versus tuned black-green decks versus well-balanced control decks, with a touch of everything in between including Steve Rubin’s innovative Blue-Red Zombies deck that led him to an 8-1 finish.

As the sun dawns in Pittsburgh, there are six players standing atop the standings with a healthy mix of decks, just one of them being the Black-Green Constrictor deck that most viewed as the successor to the crown after Mardu Vehicles’ run at the Pro Tour last week.

With six rounds left to play before the cut to the Top 8, there is still plenty of Magic to be played, and plenty of time left for the Standard metagame to fully shake itself out.

What will rise to the top? Tune into twitch.tv/magic to find out.

Day 1 Coverage

My, my how quickly the Standard format changes. Just last week at Pro Tour Aether Revolt, Mardu Vehicles was the tops. But in the Steel City, no die is ever fully cast. The undefeated players after Day 1 slung two Four-Color Copycats, a Temur Marvel, a Black-Green Constrictor, and only two Mardu Vehicles. And that’s not even close to the story of the decks here at this tournament. Vehicles, while clearly still running good, is no longer the shiny new thing on the block.

There is a giant glut near the top tables of Black-Green Constrictor decks. Winding Constrictor, the “snek” if you will, has wiggled its way everywhere, permeating the room. It’s not really a surprise; people have said, “If you want to beat Mardu Vehicles, play the deck that beats Mardu Vehicles.” And they have, they have.

But the winds of Kaladesh be fickle. Before the Pro Tour, it was worries of Copycat; after the Pro Tour, it was worries of Vehicles; this weekend, the worry is Constrictor. Even if Black-Green can translate its strong Day 1 showing to the Top 8, it’s just another side of Standard revealing itself.

Aether Revolt keeps the revolution fresh, rebelling against itself over and over, roiling more and more energy. Here in Pittsburgh, the furnace is just heating up. The boiler won’t burst until six more rounds on Sunday to cut to the Top 8.