This weekend Chris VanMeter returned to his G/R Monsters roots, and to the surprise of no one, he earned a SCG Open title. The archetype has mutated to incorporate a dragon tribal sub-theme, courtesy of Dragons of Tarkir. Thunderbreak Regent and Dragonlord Atarka join Stormbreath Dragon to fuel Draconic Roar. The free damage dealt by the combination of these cards puts immense pressure on the opponent's life total and puts them at constant risk, especially from finisher Crater's Claws.

Haven of the Spirit Dragon surely draws attention; it has arrived. This card fills two roles: one, it’s a mana-ramp engine that stores extra mana and builds towards dragons; two, it’s effectively a source of card advantage because in the late-game when it would otherwise be another dead extra land it instead turns into a valuable dragon card.

Dragon theme cards are not only playable, but that they can compete with anything in Standard. Thunderbreak Regent is a clear staple of Standard and a clear financial winner this week. It's a four-of staple in Standard until it rotates out. At $10 it may have at most a couple of dollars to grow short-term, and perhaps a few more later this year after we stop drafting the set.

Dragonlord Atarka is not a four-of type card, but as a $7 Mythic it has near-term growth potential, perhaps to $10 this year, and significantly more in the future because of casual appeal.

The sideboard tips off one of my favorite winners from this past weekend, Arbor Colossus. This card is simply excellent against dragons and their flying ilk. It comes down early enough to matter, and it doesn't die to Roast or Stoke the Flames. It also has great potential for destroying a dragon with its monstrous ability.

Green decks in Standard tend to be weak against flyers and Arbor Colossus is a unique and powerful way to confront the problem. It's a great option for any green sideboard in Standard.

Another big green winner on the weekend was Surrak, the Hunt Caller, which saw play in both Temur and two versions of G/R Monsters.

Surrak, the Hunt Caller is so powerful in these aggressive decks because it reliably has haste, and unlike normal haste creatures it has extra value later because it gives future creatures haste as well. This all adds up to a ton of extra damage and makes these decks a lot more potent.

Boon Satyr is a big winner from the rise of Surrak, the Hunt Caller, so expect to see increased demand for it this weekend. The rise of green-red decks has also provided an excellent home to Destructive Revelry, which is being played in spades in their sideboards because of its ability to function as a removal spell while still contributing to the burn plan for killing the opponent.

Gruul takes many forms, including the form of a red aggro deck splashing for Atarka's Command.

One of the best modes on the command is the +1/+1 anthem effect, but it requires a team of creatures to be effective. Hordeling Outburst and Dragon Fodder are the perfect pair of cards to support the command. The new Zurgo Bellstriker and Lightning Berserker had continued on their success from last weekend and indicate that red is very much a deck to beat.

Searing Blood is a necessary element of these hyper-aggressive red decks, and so it has seen an uptick in demand. It will continue to be bought into the summer by players getting into Standard and looking for a cheap yet effective deck.

The award for most fascinating deck of the Top 8 goes to Tom Ross, who has done it yet again, this time with a new adaptation on Heroic, Bant Heroic!

Tom has abused the fact that Dromoka's Command can easily target two creatures with its +1/+1 and fight abilities. This opens up the door for explosive heroic draws and frightening tempo blowouts. Windswept Heath and Mana Confluence support the mana, and with Tom Ross behind it, it's likely the future of the archetype.

The rest of the cast is the usual U/W Heroic suspects, although he has also included a single Center Soul, which replaces any Feat of Resistance. There are a pair of Encase in Ice in the sideboard. Most interesting is the inclusion of Monastery Mentor in the sideboard, which allows the deck to shift gears into a more attrition-based game supported by Treasure Cruise.

I'm fascinated by Gerard Fabiano's 9th-place Jund Midrange deck. I have been trying to make Jund work since 2013 when Thragtusk and Huntmaster of the Fells left, and while this deck is nothing like the former, it plays a similarly hard-hitting game plan.

Built off the solid core of Sylvan Caryatid and Courser of Kruphix, this deck continues to exploit the favorable interactions between Satyr Wayfinder and both Sidisi, Undead Vizier and Tasigur, the Golden Fang.

With the ability to tutor, a single Whip of Erebos and a cast of singleton creatures and planeswalkers gives the deck a ton of late game power.

The most exciting card is Outpost Siege which gives this deck fuel into the mid and late game and allows it to attrition out opponents with its many removal spells and Thoughtseize.

Todd Anderson was lurking in 11th with Jeskai Tokens, a convincing followup to his Top 8 performance with the archetype at the SCG Invitational.

It's notable that Dragonlord Ojutai has crept into the maindeck, powered by its favorable interaction with Jeskai Ascendancy. This card is the real deal in any blue-white deck and a winner going forward. The price is unlikely to increase substantially but it's not going down.

I have my eyes on Secure the Wastes. Todd played two copies in his maindeck, and it's going to become a staple of the archetype. I wouldn't be surprised to see him play another copy next weekend, perhaps in the sideboard. There's also a Narset Transcendent peeking in his sideboard, a number that could increase next weekend.

Seismic Rupture was not only in Todd's sideboard, but in VanMeter's as well, which tells me that the card is doing a lot of work during testing sessions in Roanoke. It's a card everyone should have on their radar. It's ideal against the aggressive red decks that flood the board with creatures, especially if the trend of using token makers continues.

Hornet Nest is another card that attacks Mono-Red, and it saw a ton of play at the SCG Open, so it's a sure seller this weekend.

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Turn to the comments with anything to share or questions to ask!

Cheers,
-Adam