LotusRing

Core sets have always revealed more than we need to know about the next Standard environment. As usual, from the cards, we should figure out what's looming across both the core set and the next block. As for M15, I found graveyard is one of the themes. Souls of 5 planes, Jace's +1 ability, reprint of Satyr Wayfinder, they all utterly signal us to explore grave related themes. The painlands in M15 along with Mana Confluence reassure us not to worry about aggros/ RDWs: they will not be as fast as today's. Still, easing the pain is an issue future decks need to overcome. I think a direct way to do so is through life gaining. Beside decks using  Courser of Kruphix, today's mono black decks with Gray Merchant may have the chance to splash more colors without big troubles on mana damage. What's more, the solely revealed Khans card, as well as the twitter content from Mr. Rosewater(chief designer of the next block) strongly hints us that the next block is full of tri-

Erhnamageddon is an old deck I always try to build, on paper or MTGO. The main difficulty of playing this decks is that Strip Mine is restricted. It's easier to explain with a list: Creatures (14) 1 Autumn Willow 4 Erhnam Djinn 2 Fyndhorn Elves 2 Llanowar Elves 2 Order of Leitbur 1 Serra Angel 2 Spectral Bears Other Spells (24) 3 Armageddon 1 Balance 2 Wrath of God 2 Land Tax 2 Sylvan Library 4 Disenchant 4 Swords to Plowshares 2 Fellwar Stone 2 Icy Manipulator 1 Ivory Tower 1 Zuran Orb Lands (22) 4 Brushland 6 Forest 1 Havenwood Battleground 6 Plains 1 Ruins of Trokair 4 Strip Mine (Bertrand Lestree built it, I found the list on  David Leavitt  's website) With 4 Strip Mines, the deck's extremely frightening: you don't have to play the Strip Mines turn 1 like in other decks, instead, you save them up on your hand. Cast them til you get a Balance or Armageddon, then your opponent's mana source is completely disrupted for the rest of

Part 2:  Courser of Kruphix, Stormbreath Dragon,  Polukranos, World Eater, Elspeth We know painlands, Mana Confluence will be the essential part of mana base for enemy-color decks, or maybe tri-color decks. Taking several damage from tapping these lands can be real painful in a standard with Thoughseize, Eidolon of the Great Revel, Keranos, God of Storms, Pain Seer, Herald of Torment. I think people will start trying to use  Nyx-Fleece Ram, Whip of Erebos, Bow of Nylea, and they may build decks splashed green color to use Courser of Kruphix. Standard environment may goes harsh for pain lands and scrying lands if weenies, RDWs dominate the meta. Playing against a deck doing 10 damage in the first 5 turns, we can't afford to take even 1 damage from pain lands. Players may shift to mono green decks or GR monsters again. If that's true, Stormbreath Dragon and  Polukranos, World Eater are highly under-priced right now. But Worlder Eater is in a  $19.99 special deck , so I think

Part 1: Scrying Lands, Mana Confluence and the pain lands I assume  Khans of Tarkir  is a set with 5 more allied lands, I also assume the popularity will remain the same for muti-color decks( Jund, Junk, UW, RG, WR etc). Then the scrying lands will still be a must have part of mana base unless the set after Khans releases and adds more mana fixing lands into Standard. Comparing to scrying lands, Mana Confluence is in a position much harder to predict. 21 mana fixing are currently available and 10 will leave with RTR block after rotation. We've just assume 5 will be added but it's not 100% sure. If we don't have fixing in Khan, Mana Confluence will spike up, even if we have 5 in Khan, still, the demand for Mana Confluence will exceed its supply when players rush to draft Khan. After all, 5 color land is more versatile in mana base than enemy pain lands from M15. Those pain lands plus Mana Confluence signify an urge to collect  Courser of Kruphix . I think even the next Sta

Impact on Standard decks: The Colors: I believe the only mana fixing land from M15 are the 5 pain lands - they "pain" their controllers 1 damage when tapped for colored mana. It's expected 5 or more mana fixing will be in the next block. All together, we are getting a mana base of the same abundance as RTR-THS standard: 10 Scryland, 5 pain land, 5 other fixing, plus Mana Confluence. In theory, the mana base today can support tri color decks, in the coming standard, tri color decks should be supported by the future mana base, too. The Planeswalkers: Chandra, Pyromaster is my target to hoard. For its proved impact on Standard this year, it seems more solid than the other planeswalkers: Jace gives no drawing effect, Garruk costs too many mana, Ajani and Liliana are not surprising at all. But history taught us things can change dramatically with new sets. At least Jace and Garruk will upsurge if grave decks and ramp decks become mainstream. Nissa, Worldwaker feels a