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It's not every day you get to chat with some of the best Magic players around, but today's not just "every day", it's Pro Tour Friday! I've composed a suite of 5 short questions that Pros can quickly answer in between rounds, which I think will give us a great snapshot of what the best of the best are thinking coming into this weekend. Here's a run-down of what they said*.
First, what's your favorite BFZ card and why?
Luis Scott-Vargas: Bring to Light leads to a lot of interesting decisions and fun play experiences. You get to play lots of 1-ofs
Ari Lax: Woodland Wanderer - he's the biggest greenest guy.
Alan Comer: Roil Mage - He looks like fun!
What card do you hope you don't have to play against this weekend?
LSV: Deathmist Raptor - It's a good threat, good against my deck.
Ari: Ruination Guide - if Isee it, that means we didn't evaluate it right.
Alan: Atarka's Command - By the time they cast it, something bad is happening.
Are there any cards that surprised you or your team in testing, either by over- or under-performing?
LSV: Siege Rhino underperforming, much worse with the loss of Thoughtseize.
Ari: Ruinous Path is shockingly mediocre
Alan: we'll talk tomorrow 🙂 every card that costs more than 3 underperformed. The format is just TOO fast.
What's the best card no-one's playing?
LSV: Rally the Ancestors - The Rally deck is actually good, it feels like its underplayed compared to power level.
In a few words, what is the key to BFZ Standard?
LSV: Playing to a board. Building creatures, developing position. Combat & removal.
Ari: mana bases, how you utilize the tangos. These are the best mana bases since Vivid/Reflecting Pool, its about determining how you want to approach the interaction with battle lands. You can stretch your mana to play 4 colors in Jacekai, perfect 2 color in GW, 3 color shards can do all untapped. using off color fetches to get tangos . Remember that Flooded Strand can't fetch a red dual.
You can expect many more of these throughout the weekend as we continue our live on-site coverage of Pro Tour: Battle for Zendikar, only for QS Insiders!
* These are paraphrased answers, not exact quotes, but they accurately represent what was said!
